The chief of Gaza’s Hamas-run police force, Mahmoud Salah, along with his deputy Hussam Shahwan, have been killed in an Israeli airstrike that targeted a tent camp sheltering displaced families in the al-Mawasi area, near Khan Younis, southern Gaza.

The strike also claimed the lives of nine other people, including three children and two women.

The Hamas-run interior ministry condemned the attack, calling it an “assassination” of individuals who were fulfilling “humanitarian and national duties.”

The Israeli military, however, confirmed the strike, stating that Shahwan had been a “terrorist” involved in planning attacks on Israeli forces in Gaza.

The Israeli Defense Forces, IDF, claimed that Shahwan had worked in coordination with Hamas’s military wing to target Israeli troops.

The attack also resulted in the tragic deaths of three young brothers—Ahmed, Mohammed, and Abdul Rahman al-Bardawil—who were sleeping in their family’s tent when the explosion occurred.

Their father, Walid al-Bardawil, described the devastating moment, stating that he tried to wake his sons but they did not respond. Their bodies were later transported to a local hospital in a tuk-tuk.

The Israeli airstrike is part of ongoing operations targeting Hamas infrastructure in Gaza, with the IDF claiming to have struck a Hamas control-and-command centre later in the day, resulting in six more fatalities.

The situation in Gaza has worsened with recent cold and wet weather, causing extensive flooding in makeshift camps for displaced families.

Over 1,500 tents have been flooded, leaving families without basic necessities. As the conflict continues, more than 45,580 people have died in Gaza since the start of the Israeli campaign in October 2023.

Hamas police chief among 11 killed in Israeli airstrike on Gaza