Israeli strike, fire kill nine in Gaza

An Israeli strike and gunfire killed at least nine Palestinians, including a 10-year-old boy, and a senior Hamas police officer, in the Gaza Strip yesterday, Gazan health and police officials said.

Medics said Muataz Abu Shaar, 10, was shot by Israeli gunfire in Rafah, southern Gaza. In Jabalia, in the north of the enclave, an Israeli airstrike on a post of the Hamas-led police force killed at least seven people, including a woman, and wounded several other people, medics and police officials said.

In Khan Younis, an Israeli airstrike killed a 36-year-old man and left three people wounded, medics said. Israel said he was a senior Hamas member.

The Hamas-led interior ministry said in a statement the dead included the head of the Jabalia police force, Colonel Mohammad Marwan Salem, along with other officers.

The deaths add to a toll of more than 1,100 Palestinians killed by Israeli attacks since an October ceasefire between Israel and Hamas took effect, according to health officials in the enclave.

Israel has stepped up its attacks against Hamas security men and police posts, killing dozens of them since October, according to police sources.

Israel wants Hamas to cede control of Gaza and disarm, and while the group said it was ready to relinquish power, it has always resisted calls to lay down arms.