Gaza’s police chief killed in Israeli airstrike

In Gaza, at least 68 people were reportedly killed, including Mahmoud Salah, the chief of the Hamas-controlled police force, his deputy Hussam Shahwan, and nine other displaced civilians.

The attack occurred in the Al-Mawasi district, which was designated as a humanitarian zone for civilians earlier in the 14-month-old war between Israel and Hamas, which rules Gaza.

Israel said it targeted Hamas militants in a command centre embedded in a Khan Younis municipal



building.

The Israeli military said it had conducted an intelligence-based strike in Al-Mawasi, just west of the city of Khan Younis, and eliminated Shahwan, saying he led Hamas forces in south Gaza. It made no mention of Salah’s death.

In a recent social media post, United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA) head Philippe Lazzarini criticized the lack of safe zones in Gaza, emphasizing the need for a ceasefire.