At least 10 Palestinians, among them a 10-year-old boy and a senior Hamas police officer, were killed by an Israeli strike and gunfire in the Gaza Strip, according to Gazan health and police officials.
The latest deaths bring the number of Palestinians killed in Israeli attacks since an October ceasefire between Israel and Hamas took effect to more than 1,100, health officials in the enclave said.
While the truce brought major combat to a halt, intermittent violence has continued. Militants in Gaza have killed four Israeli soldiers during the same period.
Medics said 10-year-old Muataz Abu Shaar was fatally shot by Israeli gunfire in Rafah, southern Gaza.
Senior Gaza police officer among dead, ministry says
In a statement, the Hamas-led interior ministry said Colonel Mohammad Marwan Salem, who headed the Jabalia police force, was killed alongside other officers.
The Israeli military confirmed it had killed Salem, describing him as the commander of Hamas’ central Jabalia battalion. It said three other militants from the group were also killed.
The military said those targeted had gathered in recent months to plan and carry out attacks. “They were eliminated in order to remove the threat.”
Israel has demanded that Hamas surrender control of Gaza and disarm. The group has said it is prepared to give up power but has consistently rejected calls to relinquish its weapons.
Later, medics reported that a Palestinian was killed and several others wounded near a mosque in western Gaza City, raising the day’s death toll to at least 10.
The Israeli military did not immediately address that incident or the killing of the 10-year-old boy.
Elsewhere in southern Gaza, an Israeli airstrike in Khan Younis killed a 36-year-old man and wounded three other people, medics said. The Israeli military said the target was a Hamas militant.
Trump peace plan talks continue
The bloodshed unfolded as Hamas leaders travelled to Cairo for additional negotiations over the second phase of US President Donald Trump’s Gaza peace plan.
Sources close to the negotiations said the agenda includes the disarmament of Hamas and the withdrawal of Israeli forces. They added that little headway had been made in recent weeks towards a comprehensive agreement to end the conflict.
Hamas maintains that Israeli breaches of the ceasefire remain a major barrier to carrying out the second phase of Mr Trump’s plan.
Almost all of Gaza’s 2 million residents — most displaced repeatedly — are now crowded into a narrow stretch of coastal land under Hamas control, largely sheltering in makeshift tents or damaged buildings.
Hamas-led fighters killed 1,200 people in their cross-border assault on Israel on 7 October, 2023, according to Israeli tallies.
Since then, more than 73,000 Palestinians have been killed across the territory, according to the Gazan health ministry.
