Key facts
- Brigadier-General Abdel-Nasser Al-Maqadma, head of the Hamas-led police force in northern Gaza, was killed in an Israeli airstrike.
- Al-Maqadma was also known as the governor of the northern Gaza Strip.
- The Israeli military considered Al-Maqadma part of Hamas' military wing.
- The strike occurred in the Sheikh Radwan area north of Gaza City.
- Another Israeli strike killed a Palestinian medic in central Gaza.
An Israeli airstrike on Saturday killed Brigadier-General Abdel-Nasser Al-Maqadma, identified as the head of the Hamas-led police force and governor of the northern Gaza Strip. The strike occurred in the Sheikh Radwan area north of Gaza City.
The Israeli military considers Al-Maqadma to have been part of Hamas' military wing. Hamas claims that Israeli attacks on its police force and headquarters are intended to create chaos and anarchy in the Gaza Strip and violate the US-brokered October ceasefire.
In separate incidents, an Israeli strike killed a Palestinian medic in the Nuseirat refugee camp in central Gaza, and a police officer wounded in a previous Israeli airstrike died. The Israeli military has not yet commented on these incidents.
According to Gaza health officials, over 1,180 Palestinians have been killed by Israeli attacks since the October ceasefire took effect. Hamas does not typically disclose its losses. Four Israeli soldiers have been killed by militants in Gaza during the same period.
Mediators, including Egypt, Qatar, Turkey, and the United States, are working to advance a peace plan proposed by US President Donald Trump, which includes Hamas disarmament and Israeli withdrawals. However, progress has been minimal.
The conflict began with an attack by Hamas-led fighters on southern Israel, resulting in 1,200 deaths and approximately 250 hostages taken, according to Israeli figures. Israel's subsequent military offensive has led to the deaths of over 73,000 Palestinians, as reported by Gaza health officials. Israel currently controls about 64% of the Gaza Strip, which has been heavily bombarded during the two-year military operation. Nearly all of Gaza's 2 million residents are displaced and facing severe conditions.