Israeli strikes kill at least a dozen in Gaza, including police officers

Israeli airstrikes have killed at least a dozen people in Gaza over the past two days, according to local health officials, with strikes continuing almost daily despite a months-old ceasefire with Hamas. On Wednesday, three members of a family were killed in central Gaza, Al Aqsa Hospital officials reported.

The previous day, a woman and six police officers were among those killed in an airstrike on a police station in the densely populated Jabaliya refugee camp in northern Gaza. A man also died in the bombing of a tent camp in Khan Younis in the south, while Israeli forces shot and killed a child in the Muwasi area outside Rafah, hospital officials said.

The Israeli military did not immediately comment on the strikes in central and southern Gaza. Regarding the Jabaliya attack, the military claimed that four of the slain police officers were Hamas militants, without providing evidence of their involvement in planning or carrying out attacks. The Hamas-run Interior Ministry identified one of the officers as Col. Mohamad Marwan Salem, a senior police commander and head of the Jabaliya police station.

Hamas, which governs Gaza, maintains an armed wing alongside civilian police and security services. Israel has frequently targeted Gaza's police, including those guarding humanitarian aid convoys, stating that police stations are legitimate targets if used for military activities or if personnel are involved in advancing terrorist activities. However, it did not specify the alleged military activities at the Jabaliya station or provide evidence of planned attacks. Hamas asserts its police force focuses on maintaining law and order.

The UN human rights office has condemned Israeli attacks on Gaza’s police, noting that police personnel have been attacked at least a dozen times in 2026, even during ordinary law enforcement operations. The office expressed concern that Israeli forces may not be distinguishing between police personnel and fighters belonging to armed groups in Gaza. A researcher at Israel’s Institute for National Security Studies suggested that Israel views parts of Hamas' policing apparatus as integrated with its military infrastructure, citing dual-role personnel and the use of facilities for weapons storage and operations. The fragile ceasefire deal in October aimed to halt a two-year war, but at least 1,123 people have been killed in Gaza since it took effect, according to the territory’s Health Ministry.

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The pattern of attacks raises concerns that Israeli forces apply no distinction between police personnel and fighters belonging to armed groups in Gaza.