At least 12 Palestinians were killed across Gaza on Friday — eight in an attack on a police vehicle in Khan Younis — despite a ceasefire brokered in October, Gaza health officials and the Interior Ministry said. The dead included two police officers in Gaza City and two people in a home in Beit Lahiya, authorities added. Gaza’s Ministry of Interior urged international intervention, saying strikes on police units undermine civilian security and worsen the vacuum of services.

Immediate events

  • Medical sources in Gaza and Al Jazeera reported 12 people died in separate strikes on Friday, spread across the south, centre and north of the territory.
  • The largest single incident was an attack on a police vehicle in Khan Younis that killed at least eight people; officials said three of those killed were civilian bystanders.
  • Separate strikes killed two police officers in Gaza City and two people in a house in Beit Lahiya in the north.
  • Gaza’s Ministry of Interior called for international intervention, saying operations targeting police forces — which it says help restore order in populated areas — are unlawful and worsen the security vacuum civilians face.

Ceasefire, but not a halt in violence

The deaths occurred under a ceasefire brokered in October last year, which eased the intensity of the campaign compared with the months immediately after October 2023. Gaza officials and independent monitoring groups report repeated violations.

Since the start of the truce, Gaza health authorities say at least 984 people have been killed and 2,235 wounded in Israeli attacks; these figures are separate from the wider conflict toll. Gaza health authorities say the larger tally since October 2023 exceeds 72,500 killed and more than 172,000 injured, and that thousands remain missing, believed buried under rubble.

Security and humanitarian consequences

  • Gaza’s Ministry of Interior warned that strikes on police units deepen disorder by removing local actors tasked with basic services and security.
  • Health authorities and other local institutions say earlier attacks on personnel protecting aid convoys contributed to looting and worsened the food situation.
  • Combined with widespread destruction, these developments have produced mass displacement and chronic shortages of food, fuel and medical supplies, officials say.
  • Leading rights groups and United Nations investigators have issued findings and calls for accountability and stronger humanitarian access to the enclave.

Political context

The strikes took place while Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s government continues military operations across Gaza and has engaged in operations south of Lebanon, actions Gaza officials and regional monitors say violate a separate truce with Hezbollah.

Gaza authorities described the recent attacks as evidence that international silence is emboldening further action against civilian institutions and said this dynamic encourages targeting of personnel who carry out policing and aid-protection roles in densely populated areas. Hamas officials framed Friday’s escalation as further proof the truce has failed.

Related Articles

Gaza health authorities say the wider conflict has killed more than 72,500 people and injured over 172,000 since October 2023.

This article was created with AI assistance.