The chief of Gaza’s Hamas-run police and his deputy were killed in an Israeli airstrike targeting a tent camp in al-Mawasi, southern Gaza, sheltering displaced families. The Hamas-run interior ministry condemned the killings of Mahmoud Salah and Hussam Shahwan, calling them an “assassination” while claiming they were performing humanitarian duties. The strike also claimed the lives of nine others, including three children and two women.
Israel’s military confirmed it targeted Shahwan, accusing him of aiding Hamas’s military wing in plotting attacks against Israeli forces. Israeli officials claim they took steps to minimize civilian casualties, but activists and local authorities condemn the attacks as a violation of human rights.
The deaths of three brothers, aged 7, 11, and 13, were particularly devastating. They were asleep when the strike occurred. The bombing resulted in significant destruction, with reports of shrapnel spreading over a wide area.
In other parts of Gaza, Israeli airstrikes killed 19 people, including 10 in Jabalia, a northern town besieged by Israeli forces. As the humanitarian crisis deepens, rainy and cold conditions have worsened the living situation in refugee camps, with flooded tents and sewage contamination.
Since the escalation of conflict between Israel and Hamas, over 45,580 people have been killed in Gaza, highlighting the ongoing devastation.
