Israeli military forces have targeted and killed approximately a dozen Gaza police officers over the past week, marking an intensification of strikes against the Hamas-controlled security force, according to Gaza officials.
The fate of Hamas’ roughly 10,000 police officers has become a major obstacle in negotiations surrounding President Trump’s Gaza proposal. While Hamas seeks to incorporate these officers into a future police force outlined in the plan, Israel firmly opposes any involvement of personnel with Hamas connections.
Under Trump’s framework, the militant organization would surrender its weapons and transfer governing authority to a group of Palestinian technical experts who would oversee Gaza’s police operations as Israeli forces pull back. However, discussions about disarming Hamas have been postponed due to the ongoing U.S.-Israeli conflict with Iran, according to Reuters reporting.
Throughout the coastal territory where Hamas maintained authority following the October ceasefire after two years of conflict, largely unarmed officers wearing dark blue police uniforms continue their street patrols.
On Monday, these officers were observed managing traffic flow and monitoring marketplaces and temporary housing camps throughout Gaza City.
Ismail Al-Thawabta, who heads the Hamas-controlled Gaza government’s media department, reported that Israeli forces have eliminated more than 2,800 Gaza police personnel since the October 7, 2023 Hamas-led assault on southern Israel that sparked the current war.
Since the ceasefire began, dozens of officers have lost their lives, with at least 10 killed since the U.S.-Israeli confrontation with Iran commenced, Thawabta stated.
In an effort to minimize additional casualties, he explained that “operational orders and precautionary measures” have been implemented “to reduce risks to police personnel, including reorganizing movements and deployments.” He declined to provide additional specifics.
Israeli officials maintain that their Gaza operations resulting in police officer deaths have focused on neutralizing threats to their military personnel from Hamas. Israeli forces continue to occupy approximately 53% of Gaza’s territory.
In the latest incident, nine police officers died when an airstrike hit their vehicle in Zawayda in central Gaza on Sunday, local medical sources reported. The destroyed car’s bloody remains were abandoned on the street, surrounded by damaged structures.
Israeli military representatives stated they had targeted an armed Hamas unit planning an assault on Israeli troops, claiming six fatalities. Neither Hamas nor the military immediately addressed the conflicting casualty numbers when contacted for comment.
Hamas maintains that Israel is deliberately attacking police officers who are working to preserve public order and security in Gaza after the two-year conflict. Israel disputes this characterization.
Palestinian political expert Reham Owda suggested that Israel’s police targeting reflects concerns about Hamas strengthening its control over Gaza territories under its authority.
“These strikes aim to disrupt Hamas’ security efforts in the territory and convey a clear message that Israel will not accept any expanded security role for Hamas within Gaza,” Owda explained to Reuters.
Gaza’s health department reports that Israeli forces have killed at least 670 individuals since the October ceasefire took effect. Israeli authorities say militants in Gaza have killed four soldiers during the same timeframe.
On Wednesday, an Israeli airstrike eliminated Mohammad Abu Shahla, a local armed Hamas leader, in Khan Younis in southern Gaza, according to Hamas and medical officials. That same night, two motorcycle riders shot and injured a high-ranking Hamas police official in Gaza City. Hamas attributed the shooting to “Israeli collaborators.”
Israeli authorities did not provide immediate responses regarding these events.
Abdallah Al-Araisha, a Palestinian resident of a tent settlement in Gaza City, praised the police for their efforts to combat crime and safeguard civilians throughout Gaza, where most of the territory’s 2 million residents have been forced from their homes.
“Without the police, we would be ruined,” Al-Araisha commented.
