An airstrike struck a police vehicle on Nafaq Street in Gaza City on Tuesday, killing at least four people, including a child, health officials in the territory reported. Medics and witnesses said the strike ignited the police car and that residents and rescue workers rushed to the scene to search for possible casualties.
It remained unclear how many of the dead were policemen, according to the health officials. Requests for comment to the Israeli military did not receive an immediate response.
The attack comes against the backdrop of a U.S.-brokered ceasefire that took effect last October. That agreement halted two years of full-scale war but left a significant portion of Gaza depopulated and under Israeli troop control. Health and territory officials describe that depopulated area as making up well over half of Gaza, while Hamas retains authority in the narrower coastal strip that remains populated.
Since October, Israel has increased operations targeting Hamas-led police and security forces, actions that Gaza-based officials say have resulted in dozens of deaths among those forces. Those officials have accused Israel of seeking to sow chaos and anarchy. Israel, for its part, states its operations are intended to prevent attacks by Hamas and other militant groups.
Officials report that more than 750 Palestinians have been killed since the ceasefire took effect. In the same period, militants have killed four Israeli soldiers. Both sides have traded blame for violations of the ceasefire, and Palestinians have said Israeli forces have been expanding the area they occupy. Israel has denied those claims.
Context and immediate aftermath
Medics and witnesses described a rapid emergency response after the strike on Nafaq Street, with people at the scene and rescue teams searching for survivors amid the burning wreckage. Given the lack of immediate clarification on the identities of the dead, officials have not confirmed how many were serving police officers.
The incident underscores ongoing tensions despite the cessation of large-scale hostilities last October, and highlights persistent uncertainty over the geographic and security arrangements in Gaza under the terms of the ceasefire.