Israel has killed two senior Hamas security officials in the Gaza Strip
This is according to Reuters.
Who was killed
According to medical sources and the Hamas-controlled Ministry of the Interior, those killed included Colonel Wael al-Ledawi, who headed the internal security service in the central part of the Gaza Strip, and Major Ramez Abu Zraik.
The Israeli military confirmed the strike, stating only that it had targeted a Hamas militant. They did not disclose any further details about the operation.
Tensions remain high despite the ceasefire
In recent months, Israel has repeatedly carried out strikes against members of the police and security forces controlled by Hamas. The Israeli side claims that many of them were part of the group’s military wing and posed a direct threat.
Hamas, for its part, claims that such attacks are aimed at destabilising the situation in the Gaza Strip and violate the ceasefire brokered by the US in October.
According to Gaza’s health authorities, more than 1,190 Palestinians, the majority of whom were civilians, have been killed in Israeli strikes since the ceasefire came into effect. Reuters notes that these figures could not be independently verified. Meanwhile, four Israeli soldiers have been killed in the Gaza Strip during this period as a result of militant attacks.
Israel currently controls around 64 per cent of the Gaza Strip. The vast majority of the enclave’s nearly two million residents live in the coastal area — in tent camps or damaged buildings.
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