Fresh Israeli strike on “safe zone” kills 54 across Gaza
- 2 January, 15:26
Fresh Israeli air strikes on Thursday killed at least 54 Palestinians across the Gaza strip, medics said. Among the killed are 11 people in al-Mawasi tent encampment sheltering displaced families.
“By committing the crime of assassinating the director general of police in the Gaza Strip, the occupation is insisting on spreading chaos … and deepening the human suffering of citizens,” Hamas added in a statement.
Hamas-run Gaza interior ministry reported that the director general of Gaza’s police department, Mahmoud Salah, and his deputy, Hussam Shahwan, were among the killed.
The Israeli military stated that it carried out the strike on the al-Mawasi encampment, located west of Khan Younis, resulting in the death of Shahwan, who was described as the leader of Hamas security forces in southern Gaza. However, they did not mention the death of Salah.
Other Israeli airstrikes resulted in the deaths of at least 43 Palestinians, including six at the interior ministry headquarters in Khan Younis, along with casualties in Jabalia refugee camp in northern Gaza, Shati camp, and Maghazi camp in central Gaza. Israel's military claimed it had targeted Hamas militants, who, according to intelligence, were operating within a command and control center located "inside the Khan Younis municipality building in the Humanitarian Area."
