The Israeli military intensified targeted killings over the weekend, with operations on Saturday and Sunday focusing primarily on security officers serving in the Hamas-run government in the Gaza Strip. Those targeted were responsible for various security portfolios, including pursuing armed gangs and individuals accused of collaborating with Israel.
Shortly before noon on Sunday, an Israeli drone fired three missiles at a vehicle in the Al-Baraka area of Deir al-Balah in central Gaza, well away from the "yellow line." The strike killed two men who were later identified as Col. Wael Al-Ladawi, 44, director of the Internal Security Service in central Gaza, and Maj. Ramez Abu Zureiq, 49.
Field sources told Asharq Al-Awsat that Al-Ladawi had recently led a security campaign, coordinated with several security agencies and Palestinian factions, to intensify efforts against armed gangs backed by Israel after they targeted members of the military wings of Palestinian factions. The sources said he was also responsible for handling the file of individuals accused of collaborating with Israel and had recently overseen the arrest of several suspects.
The attack came one day after a series of similar strikes targeting police officers and security personnel. One of those strikes killed Brig. Gen. Abdel Nasser Al-Maqadma, 54, director of police in North Gaza Governorate, as he was riding a bicycle in the Ard Al-Shanti area, north of the Sheikh Radwan neighborhood in northwestern Gaza City.
That attack, carried out on Saturday afternoon, coincided with another strike targeting the vehicle of the officer in charge of Jabalia police in northern Gaza, leaving him critically wounded. Medical teams in the territory are continuing efforts to save his life.
Meanwhile, Lt. Col. Yamen Obeid, 48, a police officer in Jabalia, died of wounds sustained in an Israeli strike on July 14 that targeted him along with a group of police officers and personnel west of the city. That attack killed one police officer and four security personnel at the time.
At least 49 police officers and security personnel have been killed since the ceasefire took effect on October 10, 2025.
Gaza's Interior Ministry accused Israel of "persistently targeting the foundations of police work" in an effort to spread chaos throughout the territory. The ministry called on the international community and the mediating countries to pressure Israel to stop targeting the police force.
Israeli strikes on Saturday killed seven Palestinians and wounded more than 20 others in a series of attacks across southern, central, and northern Gaza.
One of the strikes targeted the entrance to Al-Aqsa Martyrs Hospital in Deir al-Balah, where tents used by journalists are located nearby. Several journalists narrowly survived the attack.
The strike killed a Palestinian man who operated a small tobacco stand and wounded at least 14 people passing in front of the hospital entrance. Two other Palestinians were killed in a separate strike targeting them in the Al-Mawasi area of Khan Younis in southern Gaza.
