Israeli strikes on a Gaza City municipal police headquarters and the Nuseirat refugee camp killed at least 10 people, officials said. Al-Shifa Hospital received nine bodies after the Gaza City attack and reported 15 wounded. Israel said it struck alleged Hamas commanders but provided no evidence; Hamas called the strikes "a new war crime" and denied targeting militants. The attacks followed a recent diplomatic push by U.S. envoy Jared Kushner that failed to secure a deal with Israeli leaders.
Hamas Condemns 'New War Crime' After Israeli Strikes Kill At Least 10 in Gaza
Displaced Palestinians carry the body of a victim away from the site of an Israeli strike that targeted the municipal police headquarters in Gaza City [Omar Al-Qattaa/ AFP]
Israeli air and missile strikes killed at least 10 Palestinians in separate attacks that struck a municipal police post in Gaza City and the Nuseirat refugee camp in central Gaza, medical and local officials said.
Hamas, the de facto authority in the Gaza Strip, condemned the operations and described them as "a new war crime." The group rejected Israel's account that the strikes targeted militant leaders and accused Israeli forces of deliberately hitting civilian police personnel and other non-combatants.
Casualties and Local Reports
Medical staff at al-Shifa Hospital in Gaza City reported receiving nine bodies after the attack on the municipal police headquarters, and said 15 people were wounded in that strike. Medics also said a separate strike on Nuseirat refugee camp earlier the same day killed one person, bringing the reported death toll to at least 10.
Local sources and medical officials identified some of the Gaza City victims as a newly appointed Gaza City police chief, the head of a women's police unit and several officers. Al Jazeera correspondent Hani Mahmoud reported that the bombardment hit during a busy period near a park crowded with civilians, including children.
Claims and Responses
The Israeli military said its air force struck two alleged Hamas commanders in Nuseirat and later struck another purported commander in the Tuffah neighbourhood of Gaza City, but it did not provide evidence to substantiate those claims.
Hamas: "Baseless and false allegations used to justify aggression and cover up deliberate targeting of civilian police and unarmed civilians."
Hamas accused the Israeli government of undermining diplomatic efforts and of taking actions that could reignite wider hostilities in the Gaza Strip.
Context
The strikes came two days after U.S. Middle East envoy Jared Kushner, who served as a senior adviser in the Trump administration, visited the region to promote a Trump-backed proposal aimed at ending the fighting. Kushner met Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu but the talks did not produce a deal; reports said Netanyahu rejected a plan that would have involved Israeli withdrawal from the Strip in exchange for Hamas disarmament.
After the meeting, Kushner reiterated what he called "Israel's right to defend itself" and warned that Hamas must disarm or risk increased U.S. support for stronger Israeli action. Observers noted that claims by the Israeli military about targeting militant leaders in recent strikes have frequently gone uncorroborated by independent evidence.
Earlier on Tuesday, Israeli strikes hit a crowded café at Gaza City's harbour, killing seven people, including a child, and wounding 14 others; Wafa news agency reported the port area has been converted into a makeshift displacement camp.
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