Israeli strike on Gaza police post kills seven, officials say

An Israeli air strike on a post used by Gaza’s Hamas-run police force in Jabalia, northern Gaza, killed at least seven people on Tuesday, according to local health and interior ministry officials. Witnesses said a drone fired four missiles at the site near a busy market, and officials said a senior police officer was among the dead.

The Israeli military confirmed it carried out a strike in the area and said it targeted people it identified as “terrorists.”

Separate incidents were also reported in southern Gaza on Tuesday. Medics said an air strike in the Khan Younis area killed one man and wounded three other people; the Israeli military said it struck a Hamas operative there.

In Rafah, medics said a 10-year-old boy, Muataz Abu Shaar, was killed by Israeli gunfire. The Israeli military had not commented on that incident in the account provided.

Ceasefire claims and reported casualties

Israel and Hamas have accused each other of near-daily ceasefire violations since a truce took effect in Gaza last October, according to statements cited in the report. Gaza’s Hamas-run health ministry said at least 1,110 people have been killed by Israeli fire since the ceasefire began, while the Israeli military said four of its soldiers have been killed in Palestinian attacks during the same period.

The war began after a Hamas-led attack on southern Israel on October 7, 2023, in which about 1,200 people were killed and 251 people were taken hostage, according to figures cited in the report. Gaza’s health ministry says more than 73,230 people have been killed in Gaza during Israel’s military campaign.

Questions that remain unresolved

The accounts do not provide independent verification of the casualty figures or a detailed breakdown of who was targeted in Jabalia. Further Israeli comment on the Rafah incident and any additional details about the strike’s intended targets are likely to be closely watched.