Israeli strike kills senior Hamas security officer in Gaza

An Israeli airstrike on Sunday, July 26, killed a senior officer of the Hamas-run Palestinian internal security service in the Gaza Strip. The strike in Deir Al-Balah killed Colonel Wael El-Ledawi, head of the service in central Gaza, and Major Ramez Abu Zraiq, according to medics and the interior ministry. The Israeli military confirmed it had targeted a Hamas militant but provided no further details.

This incident follows a series of deadly Israeli strikes across Gaza on Saturday, July 25, which killed at least six Palestinians and injured more than twenty. Among those killed was Brigadier-General Abdel-Nasser al-Maqadma, described as the head of the Hamas-led police force in northern Gaza and a regional governor. He was killed in a drone strike on his vehicle in Gaza City's Sheikh Radwan neighborhood. The Hamas-run Interior Ministry stated that Israeli forces have killed 53 police officers in direct attacks since a ceasefire took effect last October, accusing Israel of a deliberate campaign to dismantle law enforcement and sow chaos.

Also on Saturday, a separate Israeli airstrike in Gaza City killed Ezzedine Al-Haddad, a senior commander in Hamas's armed wing whom Israel...