An Israeli airstrike on Saturday killed Brig. General Abdel-Nasser Al-Maqadma, the head of the police force in the northern Gaza Strip, according to Gaza’s Interior Ministry and medical sources. Al-Maqadma, who also served as the governor of northern Gaza, was targeted in the Sheikh Radwan area north of Gaza City.
In addition to Al-Maqadma’s death, another Israeli strike killed a Palestinian medic in the Nuseirat refugee camp in central Gaza, medics reported. Separately, a police officer who was wounded in an Israeli airstrike last week succumbed to injuries on Saturday. Medics also confirmed that two people were killed in a house in Khan Younis, located in the southern part of the Gaza Strip. These incidents brought the total number of deaths from Israeli attacks on Saturday to at least four.
Israel has in recent months targeted numerous members of the Palestinian police force, including senior officials. Israeli authorities have accused many of them of belonging to the armed wing of Hamas, asserting that they pose imminent threats to Israeli forces operating within Gaza. Meanwhile, Hamas has condemned the strikes on police personnel and headquarters, characterizing them as efforts to create chaos and undermine the US-brokered ceasefire agreement established in October.
Since that ceasefire took effect, more than 1,180 Palestinians—primarily civilians—have been killed in ongoing Israeli attacks, despite a cessation of full-scale hostilities. These strikes have occurred almost daily, maintaining a persistent state of tension in the enclave.
Diplomatic efforts led by Egypt, Qatar, Turkey, and the United States continue to seek a resolution to the conflict based on a US proposal that includes disarmament of Hamas and phased Israeli withdrawals from Gaza. However, progress has been limited, and the situation remains volatile.
The broader conflict began last year when militants attacked southern Israel, prompting a large-scale Israeli offensive. Gaza health officials report that this military campaign has resulted in over 73,000 Palestinian deaths. Israel currently exerts control over roughly 64 percent of the Gaza Strip, a coastal territory home to approximately two million people. The area has been severely devastated by ongoing military operations since 2023, leaving much of the population living in precarious conditions amid damaged infrastructure. Hamas maintains administrative control over the enclave despite Israeli military dominance on the ground.