Gaza City police chief killed as Israel pushes on with deadly strikes

What the report says

An Israeli drone strike killed Colonel Jamal Abu Kamil, the head of Gaza City’s civil police force, on Thursday, according to Gaza’s Ministry of Interior and Al Jazeera’s report from Gaza. The ministry said the attack hit his vehicle on al-Rashid Street, southwest of Gaza City, and injured two other people. Israel’s military said it was targeting a Hamas commander and claimed the strike was intended to “remove a threat,” while Gaza police rejected that characterization and said Abu Kamil was carrying out his official duties.

The killing came as Israel resumed air strikes after a brief pause in attacks on the enclave. Al Jazeera reported that the pause followed a week without air raids, but that ground attacks had continued. On the same day, another Israeli strike in Khan Younis hit a motorcycle carrying two people, killing one and critically wounding the other. Gaza’s Nasser Hospital identified the dead man as Huthaifa Kawari.

The report places the latest strikes within the wider war in Gaza and the stalled ceasefire process. It says Israel has carried out near-daily attacks since the truce that took effect on October 10, 2025, with Gaza’s Health Ministry putting the death toll above 1,250 Palestinians during that period. The article also notes continuing diplomatic disputes over a US-backed peace plan, with Hamas and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu holding opposing positions on withdrawal and disarmament.