Colonel Jamal Abu Kamil, the 43-year-old chief of Gaza City’s civil police force, was killed in an Israeli drone attack. The attack took place while Colonel Jamal Abu Kamil was traveling in his vehicle along Al-Rashid Street, southwest of Gaza City on Thursday. Three missiles were fired at his vehicle from a drone. Two other people were also injured in the attack.
The killing of the Gaza police chief occurred one day after Israel ended a week-long suspension of airstrikes in the area. The Interior Ministry states that ground attacks did not cease even during this suspension, as Israel continued to violate the so-called “ceasefire” established in October.
The Israeli military stated that it targeted Abu Kamil to “eliminate a threat.” Without providing evidence, the military claimed he was a Hamas commander.
The Gaza police force issued a statement rejecting this claim. The statement asserted that Abu Kamil was “dedicated to his police duties and had no involvement in other activities.”
Gaza’s Interior Ministry stated that Abu Kamil was “assassinated” in the Israeli attack.
Meanwhile, Hamas also issued a statement condemning the killing. Hamas described this as “a series of brutal crimes committed by the occupiers against our Palestinian people” and “their pathetic and failed attempts to spread chaos and lawlessness in the Gaza Strip.”
Earlier on Thursday, an Israeli strike in Khan Younis, southern Gaza, targeted a motorcycle carrying two people, killing one and critically injuring the other. Israel again claimed it was targeting a Hamas commander but provided no evidence to support this.
