World March 22, 2026

Airstrike on Gaza Police Vehicle Kills Three; Separate Strike Kills Fatah Militant Leader

Health officials report four deaths across two strikes as clashes and ceasefire violations continue in Gaza

By Maya Rios
Airstrike on Gaza Police Vehicle Kills Three; Separate Strike Kills Fatah Militant Leader

Israeli airstrikes on Sunday struck two different locations in the Gaza Strip, killing four people in separate attacks, health officials said. Three men described as members of the Hamas-led police force were killed in the Nuseirat camp in central Gaza, while an earlier strike in the Sheikh Radwan quarter of northern Gaza killed a leader of a Fatah armed group. Ten others were reported wounded in the Nuseirat attack. The Israeli military said it was investigating both incidents.

Key Points

  • Three men identified as members of the Hamas-led police were killed and ten others wounded in an airstrike on a police vehicle in Nuseirat, central Gaza.
  • A separate strike in northern Gaza's Sheikh Radwan neighborhood killed one person identified as a leader of a Fatah armed group; additional injuries were reported.
  • Gaza health authorities report at least 680 Palestinians killed by Israeli fire since the October ceasefire; Israel reports four soldiers killed by militants in the same period - ongoing clashes and mutual accusations of truce violations persist. - Sectors potentially affected: regional security and defense, humanitarian aid, and local economic activity.

An airstrike on a police vehicle in the central Gaza Strip on Sunday killed three people and left 10 others wounded, according to Gaza health officials and medics. The strike hit in the Nuseirat camp, with medics and police sources identifying the three fatalities as members of the Hamas-led police force.

Earlier the same day, a separate strike in the Sheikh Radwan neighborhood of northern Gaza killed one person, identified by local sources as the leader of one of Fatah’s armed groups. Officials and medics reported that the northern strike also caused additional injuries, though the exact number of wounded in that attack was not specified in initial reports.

The Israeli military said it was reviewing both incidents. The limited official comment leaves details on the circumstances of the strikes, including the intended targets and the sequence of events leading to civilian and combatant casualties, under investigation.

Residents, medics and analysts have reported changes in the tempo of Israeli operations since late February. While attacks in Gaza had decreased in the days immediately following joint U.S. and Israeli strikes on Iran on February 28, those sources say strikes have begun to increase again in the period since.

Gaza health authorities report that Israeli fire has killed dozens of Palestinians since the outbreak of the war with Iran. The territory’s health ministry also says that at least 680 people have been killed by Israeli fire since a ceasefire went into effect in October. That ceasefire followed two years of destructive conflict that began after Hamas-led attacks in Israel in October 2023.

Israel has said that four of its soldiers were killed by militants in Gaza during the same period covered by Gaza’s death toll. Both Israel and Hamas have accused the other of violating the terms of the ceasefire, with exchanges of blame reported amid regular outbreaks of violence since the truce took effect.


Reporting note: Casualty and injury numbers are drawn from Gaza health officials, medics and police sources, and the Israeli military's statement that it is checking the incidents. Further details remain subject to confirmation as investigations proceed.

Risks

  • Uncertainty over the exact circumstances of the two strikes while the Israeli military reviews both incidents - this leaves immediate operational details unclear and pending confirmation.
  • An observed rise in attacks after a period of relative decline following the February 28 U.S.-Israel strikes on Iran signals a risk of renewed escalation in hostilities across Gaza.
  • Ongoing exchanges of blame between Israel and Hamas for ceasefire violations create continued instability, which sustains humanitarian and security pressures in the territory.

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