Israeli attacks on police sites kill six in southern, central Gaza

 Hamas has stated that the latest attacks demonstrate Israel’s “blatant disregard for the efforts of mediators, and its complete disregard for the Peace Council and its role.”

At least six Palestinians were killed in Israeli drone strikes targeting two police posts in the Bureij refugee camp in central Gaza and the al-Mawasi area in Khan Younis in the south. These attacks occurred overnight into Friday amid Israel’s ongoing conflict in Gaza, described by some as a genocidal war lasting over two years

Medical sources at Nasser Medical Complex in Khan Younis reported receiving four bodies and several wounded individuals following an Israeli military strike on a police checkpoint at the al-Maslakh intersection in al-Mawasi. The strike occurred outside Israeli military-controlled areas, with some wounded in critical condition.

In central Gaza, a similar Israeli drone strike targeted a police post at the entrance to the Bureij refugee camp, killing two Palestinians and injuring others.

Hamas spokesperson Hazem Qassem condemned the rising death toll, stating it reflects “the Zionist occupation’s blatant disregard for the efforts of mediators and the Peace Council’s role.” He further asserted that Israel continues its war of extermination against the Palestinian people, despite changes in tactics, and criticized guarantor states’ calls for stopping the war as lacking real substance on the ground.

Reporting from Gaza City, Al Jazeera’s Tareq Abu Azzoum described a "bloody night" as Israeli forces carried out deadly airstrikes primarily targeting police checkpoints situated near armed militia areas in eastern Gaza, particularly in Khan Younis and the Bureij refugee camp. Six police members were killed in these strikes.

Abu Azzoum noted that the timing and location of the attacks are critically altering the dynamics between the sides. He emphasized that Israel has made it clear it will not take responsibility for reorganizing Gaza’s remaining infrastructure, including police services, meaning efforts to restore such services are likely to be obstructed.

Meanwhile, the Gaza Crossings and Borders Authority reported that on Thursday, 50 Palestinians crossed through the Rafah crossing into Egypt—13 patients and 37 companions—while 41 people returned to Gaza.

Since Israel partially reopened the crossing, there has been only limited movement in and out. Thousands of Palestinians urgently need medical care outside Gaza, but Israel continues to impose severe restrictions on their exit.

Israel has ordered 37 aid organizations operating in the occupied Palestinian territory to cease operations unless they provide personal details about their Palestinian staff by Sunday, March 1. This directive has raised serious concerns about its potentially devastating impact on Palestinians.

The affected organizations warn that complying with the order could endanger their employees, undermine humanitarian neutrality, and violate European data protection laws.

Seventeen international NGOs, including Doctors Without Borders, Oxfam, the Norwegian Refugee Council, and CARE International, have legally challenged the order in Israel’s Supreme Court, arguing that they may be forced to halt their operations if the order is enforced.

Al Jazeera’s Tareq Abu Azzoum highlighted that this situation could represent a major turning point for Gaza’s humanitarian response system, with aid groups potentially forced to suspend their work entirely.

Oxfam International has indicated that the forced closure of aid operations in Gaza and the occupied Palestinian territories could begin as early as Saturday.

Oxfam warned that the impact of Israel’s order would be immediate and far-reaching, affecting not only individual aid organizations but the entire humanitarian system.

In Gaza, families continue to rely heavily on external assistance amid ongoing restrictions on aid entry and renewed strikes in densely populated areas.

In the West Bank, including East Jerusalem, escalating military incursions, demolitions, displacement, settlement expansion, and settler violence are driving increasing humanitarian needs.

Pressure from Israel on international humanitarian groups has been intensifying for years and has sharply escalated since October 7, 2023.