An Israeli airstrike struck a Hamas-run police post in Khan Younis in the southern Gaza Strip on Sunday, killing five Palestinians and injuring at least 16, medical authorities said. Medics did not specify how many of the casualties were members of the police force.
The targeted post sat next to a large tent camp where displaced families have been sheltering, health officials said. The Israeli military had not issued an immediate comment on the operation.
In recent months Israel has intensified operations targeting police installations and personnel, actions Hamas security officials say have led to dozens of police deaths. Major combat operations have been on hold since an October ceasefire paused a two-year war, but key disagreements remain unresolved over a U.S.-backed plan that would see Israeli forces withdraw, Hamas disarm and Gaza rebuilt.
Despite the truce, Israeli troops continue to control more than half of Gaza's territory. They have ordered residents to evacuate portions of the enclave and have demolished buildings remaining in those areas. As a result, nearly the entire population of about 2 million people now lives in a narrow coastal strip, largely in temporary tents or damaged structures under Hamas authority.
The fate of Hamas' security personnel has become one of the most contentious issues in negotiations over next steps. The group fields nearly 10,000 police officers, and their future role is contested: Hamas seeks their integration into any new security force, while Israel rejects participating personnel with Hamas links.
New talks in Egypt
Egypt has opened its doors to a fresh round of truce negotiations, hosting representatives from Hamas and other Palestinian factions, according to sources close to the talks and statements from the group. These sessions are expected to run for several days as mediators attempt to bridge differences and revive momentum toward implementing the ceasefire plan.
Both Israel and Hamas have accused the other side of violating the ceasefire since it took effect. Health authorities in Gaza say more than 950 Palestinians have been killed in Israeli strikes since the start of the truce, while Palestinian militant activity has resulted in the deaths of four Israeli soldiers.
Last year's agreement created a Board of Peace under the leadership of U.S. President Donald Trump to oversee a phased implementation of a ceasefire. The United Nations Security Council ratified that deal. However, negotiators deferred many of the most difficult questions - including the disarmament of Hamas, the timing and scope of an Israeli withdrawal, and the composition of any future Gaza government - to later stages of the process.
Envoys from the Board of Peace have continued to engage with both parties on the disarmament issue. According to sources inside the negotiations, Hamas told envoys and mediators from Egypt, Qatar and Turkey that stopping Israeli attacks in Gaza is a precondition for progress on other issues.
Hazem Qassem, a Hamas spokesman in Gaza, said the group was open to proposals that would halt Israeli strikes and that could form common ground on the second phase of the Trump plan. He also urged the Board of Peace to cease what he described as bias toward Israel, saying the body should not favor one side in its deliberations.
Human toll and context
Gaza health authorities report that nearly 73,000 people have been killed since the war began, with the majority of casualties being civilians. The current conflict erupted after Hamas-led militants crossed the border on October 7, 2023, an assault that the authorities say left 1,200 people dead and 251 Israeli and foreign nationals taken hostage.
With reconstruction discussed as part of the U.S.-backed plan, the unresolved status of security forces and the pace of Israeli withdrawal remain central obstacles. Mediators are attempting to chart a path through these disputes while immediate concerns - such as continuing strikes and population displacement - persist on the ground.
The coming days of talks in Egypt will test whether those diplomatic efforts can turn the ceasefire framework into a durable, implementable set of steps, or whether recurring violations and entrenched positions will keep core issues unresolved.