DEIR AL-BALAH, Gaza Strip (AP) — Israeli airstrikes killed at least 50 people, including several children, across the Gaza Strip, targeting Hamas security officers and an Israeli-declared humanitarian zone. As the bombardment continued on Thursday and into Friday, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office confirmed that he had authorized a delegation from the Mossad intelligence agency, the Shin Bet internal security agency, and the military to continue negotiations in Qatar toward a ceasefire agreement.
Israeli media reported that the delegation would depart on Friday. No immediate comment was available from Hamas. The U.S.-led talks have repeatedly stalled during the 15 months of war.
The Israeli strike in the Muwasi humanitarian zone, located by the sea, occurred while hundreds of thousands of displaced Palestinians were sheltering there amidst damp winter weather. “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.
The early morning strike killed at least 10 people, including three children and two senior Hamas police officers. Israel’s military stated that it targeted a senior police officer involved in gathering intelligence for Hamas’ armed wing, which is used in attacks on Israeli forces.
Another Israeli airstrike killed at least eight people in Deir al-Balah in central Gaza. The victims were members of local committees helping to secure aid convoys, according to Al-Aqsa Martyrs Hospital, which received the bodies. An Associated Press journalist confirmed the toll. There was no immediate comment from Israel’s military.
In southern Gaza, Israeli forces killed five policemen in eastern Khan Younis. Israeli government spokesman David Mencer said the strike targeted the head of 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.
Israel has repeatedly targeted Gaza’s police during the war, contributing to a breakdown of law and order, making it difficult for humanitarian groups to deliver aid. Israel accuses Hamas of hijacking aid for its own purposes.
Before the war, the Hamas-run government had a police force numbering in the tens of thousands, which maintained a high degree of public security while also suppressing dissent. Now, officers have largely disappeared from the streets in many areas.
Meanwhile, three Palestinians were killed in an Israeli strike on a group of people walking in the street in Maghazi, central Gaza. Their bodies were taken to Al-Aqsa Martyrs Hospital.
Late Thursday and early Friday, Israeli strikes in central Gaza, including Maghazi and the Nuseirat refugee camp, killed at least 24 people, including children, according to Al-Aqsa Martyrs Hospital.
The war began following a Hamas-led attack into Israel on October 7, 2023, which killed about 1,200 people, mostly civilians, and led to the abduction of around 250 people. Approximately 100 hostages are still being held inside Gaza, with at least a third believed to be dead.
Israel’s retaliatory offensive has killed over 45,000 Palestinians in Gaza, according to the territory’s Health Ministry. The ministry states that women and children make up more than half of the casualties, though it does not distinguish between civilians and combatants. Israel’s military maintains that it only targets militants and holds Hamas responsible for civilian deaths due to their fighters operating in dense residential areas. The army claims to have killed 17,000 militants, but has not provided evidence.
The war has caused widespread destruction, displacing approximately 90% of Gaza’s population of 2.3 million, many multiple times. Hunger is widespread, and children, some barefoot or in sandals, were seen waiting in line with metal pails or other containers at a food distribution center in Deir al-Balah on Thursday.
Netanyahu Leaves Hospital After Surgery
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was released from the hospital Thursday after undergoing prostate surgery on Sunday. Doctors at Hadassah Ein Kerem Hospital said Netanyahu was recovering well, although he still faces a period of recovery. Despite doctor’s orders to remain hospitalized, the 75-year-old leader briefly left the facility to participate in a vote in Israel’s parliament on Tuesday.
Netanyahu has vowed to continue the offensive in Gaza until Hamas is destroyed. Although the militant group has been significantly weakened, it has repeatedly regrouped in parts of the territory, particularly in the isolated north, after Israeli forces withdrew.
