An Israeli air strike on a police vehicle in central Gaza killed eight officers on Sunday, hospital officials said, as violence continues to test a fragile ceasefire in the war-battered territory.
Al-Aqsa Martyrs Hospital in Deir al-Balah said the bodies of eight victims were brought in after a police vehicle was struck in the nearby town of Zawaida.
Gaza’s Interior Ministry confirmed the deaths and said those killed were policemen, including the head of police in the central governorate, Colonel Iyad Abu Yousef.
Earlier Sunday, Gaza’s civil defence agency reported that another Israeli strike killed four people in the Nuseirat Refugee Camp, also in central Gaza.
Continued ceasefire violations by Israel
The latest attacks come despite a ceasefire that took effect on October 10 between Israel and Hamas, with Israel frequently violating the truce.
Hamas spokesman Hazem Qassem condemned the latest strike as “a blatant violation of the ceasefire agreement.”
The developments unfolded as a Hamas delegation was holding talks in Cairo with international mediators.
According to a Hamas source, the delegation met Nickolay Mladenov, a Bulgarian politician appointed as high representative for Gaza under Donald Trump’s Board of Peace initiative.
The diplomatic body was created after the Trump administration — alongside longtime mediators Qatar and Egypt — brokered the ceasefire that ended two years of devastating war in Gaza.
Calls for next phase of the truce
The Hamas delegation, led by official Nizar Rayyan, called for an immediate end to ceasefire violations and urged Israel to move forward with the next phase of the truce, including reopening border crossings into Gaza.
Israel closed all crossings into the territory on February 28 when it launched joint strikes with the United States against Iran, citing security concerns.
The Rafah Crossing on the Egyptian border remains closed, though Israel has since reopened Karem Abu Salem Crossing to allow limited humanitarian aid deliveries.
According to Gaza’s Health Ministry, at least 663 Palestinians have been killed since the ceasefire began in October. Israeli officials say at least five soldiers have died during the same period.
