Israeli Airstrike Kills Senior Hamas Security Official and Associate in Gaza
Details and Impact of the Airstrike in Central Gaza
Incident Overview
CAIRO, July 26 (Reuters) - An Israeli airstrike on Sunday killed a senior officer of the Hamas-run Palestinian internal security service in the Gaza Strip and an associate as they travelled in a vehicle through Deir Al-Balah in central Gaza, medics and police officials said.
Victims Identified
The strike killed Colonel Wael El-Ledawi, head of the service in central Gaza, and Major Ramez Abu Zraiq, medics and the Hamas-run interior ministry said.
Israeli Military Statement
The Israeli military said it had carried out a strike against a Hamas militant, without further details.
Background and Ongoing Conflict
Targeting of Hamas Police Force
Israel has killed dozens of members of the Hamas-led police force, including senior officials, in the past months, accusing many of them of being members of the Hamas armed wing who posed imminent threats to Israel and its forces inside Gaza.
Hamas Response
Hamas says Israeli attacks on the police force and its headquarters are intended to sow chaos and anarchy in the enclave and violate the U.S.-brokered October ceasefire between Israel and Hamas.
Casualties and Ceasefire Violations
The latest deaths add to a toll of more than 1,190 Palestinians, mostly civilians, killed by Israeli attacks since the ceasefire took effect, according to Gaza health officials.
Hamas does not usually disclose its losses.
The truce halted full-scale fighting but has not ended near-daily Israeli strikes. Four Israeli soldiers have been killed by militants in Gaza over the same period.
Current Situation in Gaza
Israeli Control and Humanitarian Conditions
Israel effectively controls an estimated 64% of the tiny coastal Strip, bombarded to ruins by Israel's two-year military assault that followed the 2023 Hamas attack on southern Israel.
Nearly all of Gaza's 2 million people now live on a sliver of land on the coast, mainly in makeshift tents or damaged buildings and facing dire conditions, under Hamas control.
(Reporting by Nidal al-Mughrabi; Editing by Kevin Liffey)
