Gaza air strike kills two Hamas security officials
Gaza’s interior ministry said an Israeli strike hit a car in Deir al-Balah, killing two Hamas security officials including Wael al-Ladawi.
By Daniel Okafor · Business Editor
3 min read
A Gaza air strike killed two Hamas security officials on Sunday when the car they were riding in was hit in Deir al-Balah, the territory’s interior ministry said. The deaths add to a series of Israeli attacks on Hamas-linked security figures as the administration of Gaza remains under heavy strain.
The ministry identified one of the men as Colonel Wael Musa al-Ladawi, described as a senior officer who led Hamas’s internal security service in central Gaza. It said Ramez Tawfiq Abu Zureiq was killed in the same strike.
Shehab News Agency published footage that it said showed the aftermath of the attack. The video showed a burned-out vehicle on a road, with heavy smoke limiting the view around it.
Al Jazeera reported that the bodies of the two men were taken to Al-Aqsa Martyrs Hospital. There was no immediate account in the report of other casualties from the strike.
Who were the Hamas officials killed in Gaza?
According to Gaza’s interior ministry, Wael Musa al-Ladawi was a colonel and a senior internal security official for Hamas in central Gaza. The ministry named the second man as Ramez Tawfiq Abu Zureiq but did not provide further details about his role.
Internal security posts are part of the governing apparatus Hamas has used in Gaza. The reported killing of al-Ladawi therefore affects more than the group’s armed structure; it also touches the security institutions used to administer the territory.
Strike follows another killing of a Hamas police official
The Deir al-Balah strike came one day after the head of the Hamas police force in northern Gaza was killed in an Israeli attack, according to Al Jazeera. Israel said that official also belonged to Hamas’s military wing.
Hamas said the killings were part of an Israeli effort to create disorder in Gaza by destroying state institutions and making the territory ungovernable. Israel’s position, as reported by Al Jazeera in the earlier attack, was that the northern Gaza police chief also had a military role with Hamas.
Al Jazeera reported that Israeli attacks have continued on an almost daily basis since a ceasefire took effect on October 10. The outlet also reported that peace talks have stalled and that the Board of Peace, created by United States President Donald Trump, has not produced a notable breakthrough.
What is the status of Hamas leadership?
Al Jazeera reported that Hamas elected Khalil al-Hayya as its new leader earlier this week. The vote came nearly two years after Yahya Sinwar, his predecessor, was killed by Israeli forces in Gaza.
The reported change at the top of Hamas comes as the group faces continued Israeli strikes and pressure on its security and administrative bodies. Hamas has framed the targeting of police and internal security officials as an attempt to prevent any functioning authority from remaining in Gaza.
This story draws on original reporting from Al Jazeera.