Strike on Jabalia police post kills senior officer and six others

An Israeli air strike struck a police post near a busy market in Jabalia, northern Gaza, killing at least seven people including Col Mohammed Marwan Salem, the head of the local police station, a woman and several officers, Gaza health and police officials said.

Witnesses told the BBC that an Israeli drone fired four missiles at the post. The Hamas-run interior ministry described the attack as a “massacre” and said Col Salem and other officers were among the dead.

The Israeli military identified Col Salem as the head of military security for Hamas’s Central Jabalia Battalion and said three other men it called “terrorists” — Abdul Malik al-Jabin, Ghassan al-Daqas and Yaman Abu Obeida — were also killed, adding that the first two were police officers.

Casualties were taken to al-Shifa hospital in Gaza City. Family members of one slain officer told Reuters he had been on duty in a civilian vehicle when targeted, insisting he was part of the civilian police force.

Separate incidents were reported elsewhere in Gaza on Tuesday: an air strike in Khan Younis killed a man and wounded three people, which the Israeli military said targeted a Hamas operative, and in Rafah a 10-year-old boy, Muataz Abu Shaar, was killed by gunfire according to medics.

The boy’s aunt said he was changing clothes in his tent when struck and appealed for the violence to stop. The Israeli military had not commented on that Rafah incident at the time of reporting.

Both sides accuse each other of frequent breaches of the ceasefire that began in October. Gaza’s Hamas-run health ministry reports at least 1,110 people killed by Israeli fire since the truce, while Israel says four of its soldiers have died in Palestinian attacks.

The current hostilities trace back to Hamas’s 7 October 2023 attack on southern Israel, which killed about 1,200 people and left 251 taken hostage; Israel’s subsequent Gaza campaign has, according to Gaza health authorities, resulted in over 73,230 deaths.

Liberal News Analysis: What Does This Development Mean?

The strike on a police post in a densely populated market area underscores the blurred lines between security and civilian roles in Gaza, complicating efforts to protect non-combatants. Targeting figures described by Israeli forces as militant leaders while identified by others as police highlights the intelligence and identification challenges in urban conflict.

Such incidents risk escalating tensions and eroding the fragile ceasefire environment, with broader social consequences including displacement, trauma among civilians, and further strain on Gaza’s overwhelmed medical facilities.

Quick Glance: What You Need to Know

• At least seven people killed in a Jabalia police post strike, including Col Mohammed Marwan Salem and a woman.
• Israeli military named three others killed as Abdul Malik al-Jabin, Ghassan al-Daqas and Yaman Abu Obeida, saying two were police officers.
• Other Gaza incidents on the same day: a Khan Younis strike killing one man and a Rafah shooting that killed a 10-year-old boy.
• Gaza health ministry reports 1,110 people killed by Israeli fire since the October ceasefire; Israeli military reports four soldiers killed by Palestinians.
• The conflict stems from the 7 October 2023 Hamas attack and Israel’s subsequent campaign in Gaza.