At least eight Palestinians, including five police officers, were killed in two separate Israeli airstrikes in the Gaza Strip on Sunday, according to medical sources and Gaza’s Interior Ministry.
In one incident, Israeli forces targeted a gathering on Al-Thawra Street, west of Gaza City, where three Palestinians, including a child, were killed and several others injured, some critically. The Interior Ministry reported that the second strike took place in western Khan Younis, in the southern part of the enclave, where five on-duty police officers were killed. The ministry described the attack as a targeted strike against police officers on duty.
The Israeli military stated that it had struck multiple militants in the Khan Younis area but did not provide further details on the casualties. Local hospitals confirmed receiving both bodies and wounded individuals from the attacks.
Israel has intensified its air campaign in Gaza in recent weeks, accusing Hamas of rearming and carrying out attacks in breach of a ceasefire agreement established a year ago. Hamas has denied allegations that it is attempting to rebuild its arsenal or launch attacks, contending that Israel’s military actions undermine the fragile peace deal.
The ceasefire, brokered by the United States last year, includes provisions for Gaza’s reconstruction. However, progress has stalled amid disagreements over steps including Hamas’s disarmament and Israel’s military presence in the region. Israel maintains control over roughly two-thirds of the Gaza Strip and has ordered residents in those areas to evacuate. The more than two million Palestinians in Gaza live predominantly in the remaining third of the territory under Hamas's control, often in heavily damaged buildings and makeshift shelters.
Since the ceasefire was put in place, health officials in Gaza report that at least 1,500 Palestinians have died in Israeli strikes. According to the latest figures released by Gaza health authorities, the overall death toll since the start of the conflict in October 2023 has reached 74,594.