An Israeli airstrike on a Hamas-led police station in the Gaza Strip killed five Palestinians and wounded at least 16 others on Sunday, health officials reported, as mediators launched new efforts to salvage a fragile US-brokered ceasefire deal. Medics did not specify how many of the casualties were police officers. The strike targeted a police post adjacent to a large tent encampment housing displaced families in Khan Younis, located in the southern part of the enclave. The Israeli military did not immediately comment on the incident.
Escalation of Attacks on Police
Israel has intensified attacks against police headquarters and personnel over the past several months, killing dozens of them, according to Hamas security officials. Major fighting has been paused since October under a ceasefire after two years of war, but no agreement has been reached to implement a further US-backed plan for Israeli troops to withdraw, Hamas to disarm, and Gaza to be rebuilt. Israeli troops still control more than half of Gaza's territory, where they have ordered residents out and destroyed remaining buildings. Nearly the entire population of 2 million now lives in a tiny strip of land along the coast, mainly in makeshift tents or damaged buildings, under Hamas control.
Hamas Police as a Sticking Point
Hamas's nearly 10,000 police officers have emerged as a sticking point in talks to advance US President Donald Trump's plan for Gaza. Hamas wants them included in a new police force; Israel rejects a role for any Hamas-affiliated personnel. Egypt began hosting a new round of truce talks with leaders from Hamas and other Palestinian factions, sources from Hamas and other sources close to the negotiations said. The talks are expected to last for a few days.
Israel and Hamas have repeatedly accused each other of violating the truce. Israeli strikes in Gaza have killed more than 950 Palestinians since the start of the truce, while Palestinian militant attacks have killed four Israeli soldiers. However, many of the toughest areas of dispute, including the disarmament of Hamas, Israeli withdrawal, and makeup of a Gaza government, were postponed to later in the process.
Peace Negotiations and Mediation Efforts
The Board of Peace negotiators have been talking to both sides on the disarmament issue. Last year's deal established a Board of Peace led by Trump to oversee a phased ceasefire, and was ratified by the United Nations Security Council. Hamas told envoys from the Board and mediators Egypt, Qatar, and Turkey that ending Israeli attacks in Gaza was essential for any progress, sources from the group and officials close to the talks said.
Hazem Qassem, a Hamas spokesperson in Gaza, said on Sunday the group was open to ideas that would lead to ending Israeli attacks in Gaza and reaching common ground over issues of the second phase of the Trump plan. But he said the Board of Peace should stop being "biased" towards Israel.
Casualty Figures and Background
Nearly 73,000 people in Gaza have been killed since the war started, most of them civilians, according to Gaza health authorities. Israel launched its assault after Hamas-led militants broke across the border, killing 1,200 people and taking 251 Israeli and foreign hostages on October 7, 2023.
