Israeli Airstrike in Gaza's Rafah Area Kills Three Hamas Police Officers, New Crisis in Peace Agreement

Israeli Airstrike in Gaza's Rafah Area Kills Three Hamas Police Officers, New Crisis in Peace Agreement

Gaza City, Palestinian Territories: On Sunday, an Israeli airstrike killed three Hamas police officers, one of whom later died from his injuries. Hamas reported that the Israeli air force struck a location near the southern Gaza city of Rafah, killing three police officers.

The Hamas-run Interior Ministry initially stated that two officers were killed and one critically injured while deployed in the Al-Shouka area, east of Rafah, to ensure security. Later, the third officer succumbed to his injuries.

The Israeli military, in a statement, said its air force targeted "several armed individuals moving toward troops in the southern Gaza Strip."

Meanwhile, since January 19, a fragile ceasefire between Israel and Hamas had largely brought an end to over 15 months of fighting in the coastal Palestinian territory. However, the ceasefire was recently tested when Hamas announced it would not release Israeli hostages on Saturday, accusing Israel of violating the terms of the agreement, particularly regarding the flow of humanitarian aid.

In response, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu warned that Israel would resume "intense fighting" unless Hamas returned the hostages by Saturday noon.

Following intense mediation by Qatar and Egypt, a hostage-prisoner swap was successfully carried out on Saturday.