THREE Palestinians have been killed in the southern Gaza Strip in Israel’s latest violation of October’s ceasefire in its genocidal war on the besieged enclave, according to sources in Gaza, as an anti-Hamas militia has claimed an attack that has killed a senior security officer.
An Israeli quadcopter drone struck down three Palestinians in Khan Younis on Monday, the sources told Al Jazeera.
According to the sources, a Palestinian woman was also wounded by Israeli gunfire in the al-Batn al-Sameen area of Khan Younis.
The attacks came after Israeli army forces carried out air strikes and shelling across several parts of the enclave on Monday.
The three people killed were identified as Wissam Abdullah Salem al-Amour, Mahmoud Subhi Breika and Atef Samir al-Bayouk, the Palestinian news agency Wafa reported.
The Israeli army has killed more than 71,400 people, mostly women and children, and injured over 171,000 in its war, which began in October 2023. It has left the enclave in ruins with its homes, hospitals, schools and civilian infrastructure decimated.
Despite a ceasefire that began on October 10, the Israeli army has continued its attacks, killing more than 440 Palestinians and wounding over 1,200 since then, according to Gaza’s Ministry of Health.
Israel has violated the ceasefire at least 1,193 times from October 10 to Friday through the continuation of attacks by air, artillery and gunfire, the Government Media Office in Gaza said.
The Gaza Ministry of Interior said the police chief of Khan Younis, Lieutenant Colonel Mahmoud Al-Astal, was killed by gunfire from a car that fled the scene in the al-Mawasi area along Gaza’s coast, west of Khan Younis.
The ministry said Al-Astal’s killing was carried out by “agents of the occupation”.
Security services have opened an investigation into the assassination and are working to track down the perpetrators, who are likely to be in an anti-Hamas militia working with the Israeli military, the ministry suggested.
The 40-year-old was killed in “a shooting carried out from a vehicle occupied by several agents” of Israel who fled the scene, a statement by the ministry said.
A militia leader active in areas under Israeli occupation claimed responsibility for the assassination.
The shooting comes about a month after the killing of Ahmed Zamzam, an officer in Gaza’s Interior Ministry.
Zamzam was shot dead in the Maghazi refugee camp in central Gaza.
Gaza authorities said at the time that their investigation showed the involvement of collaborators with Israel in his killing.