GAZA CITY: Hamas said an Israeli strike on Sunday killed two police officers and wounded another near the southern Gaza city of Rafah, a day after Israel and Hamas carried out a hostage-prisoner swap.
“Two police officers have been martyred, and a third has been critically injured as a result of an Israeli air strike that targeted them while they were deployed to secure aid in the Al-Shouka area, east of Rafah, this morning”, the Hamas interior ministry said in a statement.
The Israeli military said in a statement that its air force had conducted an air strike in Gaza, aiming at “several armed individuals”.
Israeli airstrikes kill Gaza head of police, 67 others, Gaza authorities say
“Earlier today, several armed individuals moving toward troops in the southern Gaza Strip were struck by an (Israeli Air Force) aircraft,” it said in a statement.
A fragile ceasefire that came into effect on January 19 between Israel and Hamas has largely brought a pause to more than 15 months of Israeli aggression in the coastal Palestinian territory.
Since then, Israel has conducted at least one other air strike in Gaza. On February 2, it said one of its aircraft fired towards a “suspicious vehicle” in central Gaza.
The ceasefire was more recently put to test when Hamas said it would not release Israeli hostages on Saturday, accusing Israel of violating terms of the agreement, particularly on the topic of aid entry.
In response, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu had warned Israel would resume “intense fighting” in Gaza unless Hamas returns the hostages by noon on Saturday.
Following intense mediation by Qatar and Egypt the latest hostage-prisoner swap was carried out on Saturday.
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