Colonel Jamal Abu Kamil, 43, commander of Gaza City’s civil police, was killed when a drone fired three missiles at his vehicle, Gaza authorities said. Israel’s military said it targeted him to "remove a threat," alleging he was a Hamas commander but offering no public evidence; Gaza police denied the claim and called the strike an assassination. The attack followed the end of a weeklong pause in air raids and comes amid renewed strikes that Gaza health officials say have killed more than 1,250 Palestinians since an October ceasefire. Political negotiations, including a US-brokered 15-point plan, remain disputed after Israel’s leadership rejected the agreement.
Top Gaza Police Commander Killed In Drone Strike As Israeli Air Raids Resume
A Palestinian woman and a child mourn during the funeral of Huthaifa Kawari, who, according to health officials, was killed in an Israeli strike, at Nasser Hospital in Khan Younis, southern Gaza Strip, on August 13, 2026 [AFP]
Gaza City, Gaza Strip — An Israeli drone strike killed Colonel Jamal Abu Kamil, 43, the commander of Gaza City’s civil police force, Gaza’s Ministry of Interior said. The ministry said a drone fired three missiles at his vehicle on al-Rashid Street, southwest of Gaza City, killing Abu Kamil and wounding two others.
Attack Details
Gaza authorities said the strike took place on Thursday and described the killing as an "assassination." The Israeli military said it targeted Abu Kamil to "remove a threat," asserting that he served as a Hamas commander, but it did not provide evidence to support that claim. Gaza’s police force issued a statement rejecting the allegation, saying Abu Kamil "committed to his police duties and has no connection to other activities."
Other Incidents This Week
The strike came a day after Israel ended a weeklong pause in air raids on the Gaza Strip. Earlier on Thursday, an Israeli strike struck a motorbike in Khan Younis, killing one person and critically wounding another; Israel again said it was targeting a Hamas commander but offered no supporting evidence. On Wednesday, Israeli forces carried out the first airstrike in Gaza since August 3, hitting a vehicle in Beit Lahiya that Gaza authorities said killed a municipal worker and wounded five others.
Political Context
Israel had suspended air raids for more than a week reportedly under pressure from the United States after President Donald Trump announced what he described as a "major milestone" in his plan to end the war. Trump said last month that Israel and Hamas had agreed to a 15-point plan to be implemented by the Gaza Board of Peace, including Israeli withdrawal and the disarmament of Hamas. Hamas said it accepted the deal to avoid a return to full-scale war but said implementation depended on Israel withdrawing forces and halting attacks.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu later publicly rejected the agreement, saying Israeli forces would not withdraw until Hamas was "genuinely disarmed." Air strikes resumed three days after his announcement.
Casualties and International Response
Gaza’s Ministry of Health says near-daily attacks since a ceasefire took effect on October 10, 2025, have killed more than 1,250 Palestinians. On Thursday, Palestine’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Expatriates urged implementation of the US-backed Gaza Peace Plan and condemned ongoing attacks by Israeli forces against returning Palestinians and continued settler violence in the occupied West Bank.
Hamas condemned the killing as "a continuation of the brutal crimes committed by the occupation against our Palestinian people" and described it as part of attempts to "spread chaos and lawlessness in the Gaza Strip."
A photograph from Nasser Hospital in Khan Younis shows a Palestinian woman and a child mourning at the funeral of Huthaifa Kawari, whom health officials say was killed in an Israeli strike on August 13, 2026.
Note: Claims by the Israeli military that targets were members of Hamas were not accompanied by publicly released evidence in the reporting available.
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