26 killed as Israel launches fresh airstrikes in Gaza humanitarian zone

Israel's military says it targeted senior officer in Hamas-run police force, who was involved in gathering intelligence used by outfit's armed wing in attacks on Israeli forces

Deir al-Balah: Israeli airstrikes killed at least 26 people across the Gaza Strip on Thursday, hitting Hamas security officers and an Israeli-declared humanitarian zone, as the daily bombardment continues and the latest efforts toward a ceasefire appear to have stalled.

“Everyone was taking shelter in their tents from the cold, and suddenly we found the world turning upside down. Why, and for what?” said Ziyad Abu Jabal, displaced from Gaza City, after the strike in the seaside humanitarian zone known as Muwasi.

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Hundreds of thousands of displaced people are huddling in Muwasi in damp winter weather. The early morning strike there killed at least 10 people, including three children and two senior Hamas police officers.

Israel’s military said it targeted a senior officer in the Hamas-run police force. It said he was involved in gathering intelligence used by Hamas’ armed wing in attacks on Israeli forces.

Another Israeli strike killed at least eight Palestinians in Deir al-Balah in central Gaza. The men were members of local committees that help secure aid convoys, according to Al-Aqsa Martyrs Hospital, which received the bodies.

There was no immediate comment from the Israeli military on the strike.

In southern Gaza, Israel’s military killed five policemen in eastern Khan Younis. Israeli government spokesman David Mencer said the strike targeted the head of the Hamas internal security force in southern Gaza.

“Where did we find him? Where else, but of course hiding in the humanitarian zone in Khan Younis, where Gazans are sheltering from this war,” Mencer said.

Meanwhile, three Palestinians were killed in an Israeli strike that hit a group of people walking in the street in Maghazi in central Gaza. Their bodies were taken to Al-Aqsa Martyrs Hospital.

 

Netanyahu leaves hospital after surgery

Meanwhile, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was released from the hospital on Thursday after having prostate surgery on Sunday.

Doctors at Hadassah Ein Kerem Hospital said Netanyahu was recuperating well, although he has a period of recovery ahead.

Despite doctor’s orders to remain hospitalised, the 75-year-old leader briefly left the facility to participate in a vote in Israel’s parliament on Tuesday.