Gaza police station strike kills eight amid ceasefire violations

An Israeli drone strike targeted a police station in the al-Faluja area of Jabalia camp in northern Gaza on Tuesday afternoon, killing at least eight people. Gaza’s Interior Ministry confirmed the fatalities included six police personnel, among them the station’s director, Col Mohammed Marwan Salem, and one civilian. The ministry described the incident as a “horrific massacre against officers and members of the police force”.

AFP cited Gaza’s Palestinian Civil Defence as reporting the death toll of eight, which included a female officer. The agency stated that the bodies were transferred to al-Shifa Hospital. Al Jazeera reporter Hani Mahmoud noted that the station was responsible for maintaining law and order in a marketplace located within a displacement camp.

The strike occurred despite a ceasefire agreement reached in October. Since the truce took effect, Gaza’s Hamas-run health ministry has reported that at least 1,110 people have been killed in the enclave. Concurrently, the Israeli military stated that four of its soldiers have been killed in Palestinian attacks during the same period.

Violence continued across the territory on Tuesday, bringing the total reported death toll for the day to 11. An Israeli air strike in the Khan Younis area killed one man and injured three others, including a child and a woman, according to the Palestinian Wafa news agency. Additionally, a 10-year-old child died from heavy machinegun fire in the al-Mawasi area of Khan Younis, and another man succumbed to wounds sustained from Israeli gunfire two days prior.

Israel’s war on Gaza, which began on October 7, 2023, has resulted in at least 73,233 deaths and 173,707 injuries, according to the Gaza Health Ministry. The Jabalia attack follows a pattern of near-daily deadly Israeli strikes in Gaza since the truce was agreed, with previous reports noting similar incidents targeting police posts in the area.