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Airstrike kills Hamas police head
An Israeli airstrike on Saturday killed Brigadier-General Abdel-Nasser Al-Maqadma, described as the head of the Hamas-led police force in the northern Gaza Strip, in the Sheikh Radwan area north of Gaza City, according to the Hamas-run interior ministry and medics.
“An Israeli air strike has killed a senior officer of the Hamas-run Palestinian internal security service in the Gaza Strip along with his associate”
The Arab Weekly reported that Maqadma was also known as the governor of the northern Gaza Strip and that the Israeli military said he was part of Hamas’ military wing.
The same day, the Arab Weekly said an Israeli strike killed a Palestinian medic in the Nuseirat refugee camp and that an Israeli airstrike in Khan Younis killed Khaled al-Breim, a high school student, bringing Saturday’s death toll to at least five.
The Jerusalem Post said that on Sunday an Israeli airstrike killed Colonel Wael El-Ledawi, head of the service in central Gaza, and Major Ramez Abu Zraiq as they traveled in a vehicle through Deir Al-Balah in central Gaza.
The Jerusalem Post added that the Israeli military said it had carried out a strike against a Hamas militant, without further details.
Hamas and Israel trade blame
The Arab Weekly said Hamas claims Israeli attacks on the police force and its headquarters are intended to sow chaos and anarchy in the enclave and violate the US-brokered October ceasefire.
In the same account, the Arab Weekly said Israel has killed dozens of members of the Hamas-led police force, accusing many of them of being members of the Hamas armed wing who posed imminent threats to Israel and its forces inside Gaza.
The Jerusalem Post similarly framed the killings as part of Israel’s campaign, stating that the truce halted full-scale fighting but has not ended near-daily Israeli strikes.
The Jerusalem Post also reported that Hamas does not usually disclose its losses and that Gaza health officials put the toll at more than 1,190 Palestinians killed by Israeli attacks since the ceasefire took effect.
The Arab Weekly said mediators including Egypt, Qatar, Turkey and the United States have been trying to advance US President Donald Trump’s plan for ending the conflict in Gaza, but there has been little sign of progress.
Death toll and stalled talks
The Arab Weekly said the latest deaths add to a toll of more than 1,180 Palestinians, mostly civilians, killed by Israeli attacks since an October ceasefire between Israel and Hamas militants took effect, according to Gaza health officials.
“An Israeli air strike has killed two Hamas security officials including Colonel Wael Musa al-Ladawi, a senior officer who was head of the group’s internal security service in central Gaza, according to the interior ministry”
The Jerusalem Post put the figure at more than 1,190 Palestinians killed by Israeli attacks since the ceasefire took effect, also citing Gaza health officials and noting Hamas does not usually disclose its losses.
Both outlets tied the ongoing violence to the ceasefire’s limits, with the Arab Weekly saying the truce halted full-scale fighting but has not ended near-daily Israeli strikes.
The Arab Weekly said Israel effectively controls an estimated 64 percent of the tiny coastal Strip and that nearly all of Gaza’s 2 million people now live on a tiny strip of land, mainly in makeshift tents or damaged buildings, under Hamas control.
In parallel, the Jerusalem Post said mediators have been trying to advance US President Donald Trump’s plan for ending the conflict in Gaza, which calls for Hamas disarmament and Israeli withdrawals, while the truce remains in place.
