In brief
Israeli forces dropped four missiles from a drone on a police post in the Jabalia market area on 14 July, killing seven Palestinians, a senior police officer and a woman, officials report. Witnesses saw the strike, and the Israeli military identified the victims as police and alleged operatives. The strike occurred while Gaza’s ceasefire, in force since October, has repeatedly been breached by both sides. Additional incidents in southern Gaza and Rafah also reported casualties, showing the conflict’s escalation irrespective of the ceasefire agreement.
On 14 July, an Israeli drone launched four missiles that struck an Israeli police post in the busy market of the Jabalia area of northern Gaza. The attack killed seven Palestinians, including senior officer Col. Mohammed Marwan Salem and a woman, according to officials.
Eyewitnesses described the scent of burning and the flash of explosions that spread across the market streets. Israeli authorities say Salem was heading the military security for Hamas’s Central Jabalia Battalion, and that his death was part of a broader campaign against Hamas operatives.
Health officials say the victims were transported to Al‑Shifa Hospital in Gaza City, where relatives expressed shock that they had not been involved directly in military activities. One relative questioned the motive for targeting a civilian police officer in a civilian vehicle.
In less than a day, two other Israelis claims struck southern Gaza, killing a man and injuring three others in the Khan Younis area. In Rafah, an Israeli gunfire incident killed a 10‑year‑old boy, Muataz Abu Shaar, who was reportedly sitting in his tent when the bullets hit.
Both Israel and Hamas accuse each other of daily ceasefire breaches that have punctuated the conflict since the October 2023 attack that triggered forces crossing into Gaza. The conflict, which began with a Hamas-led assault on southern Israel, has since seen the Israeli military kill over 73,230 people according to Gaza’s health ministry statistics.
