Israel targets two police stations in Gaza, killing five people
Overnight Israeli attacks in central and southern Gaza targeting two police stations have killed at least five, including one officer, in the latest escalation amid efforts to reach calm in the battered enclave.
Two Palestinians were killed by a drone strike near the Bureij camp in central Gaza, leaving several others wounded.
Meanwhile, three people were killed in southern Gaza’s al-Mawasi area, where some of the wounded were reported to be in critical condition, according to local reports citing medical sources.
The sources said the strike targeted an area outside the so-called Yellow Line, which is outside the army's field of control.
Israel has carried out multiple incursions beyond the boundary since the start of the ceasefire in October.
New MEE newsletter: Jerusalem Dispatch
Sign up to get the latest insights and analysis on Israel-Palestine, alongside Turkey Unpacked and other MEE newsletters
In response to the attacks, Hazem Qassem, the spokesperson for Hamas, said the continued killing of Palestinians reflects Israel's "blatant disregard for the mediators' efforts and its complete disregard for the peace council and its role".
"The occupation continues its war of extermination and destruction against the Palestinian people," he said, stressing that talks of a ceasefire "lacks any real substance on the ground".
US President Donald Trump unveiled the Board of Peace initiative at the World Economic Forum in Switzerland last month.
The board includes nearly all major Middle Eastern countries as members, including Qatar, the United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia and Turkey. Pakistan, Armenia, Azerbaijan and Indonesia are also members.
The text of its charter grants Trump wide-ranging powers as chair, allowing him to appoint and remove member states - a decision that can only be overturned by a two-thirds majority.
The EU’s High Representative for Foreign Affairs Kaja Kallas said that while a UN Security Council resolution gave the board a mandate to manage Gaza’s post-war governance and reconstruction, Trump’s body makes no reference to Gaza or the UN.
She added that the original resolution stipulated the board would be "limited in time", that it provided for Palestinians to have a say, and that it explicitly referred to Gaza.
“The statute for the Board of Peace makes no reference to any of these things,” Kallas told the Munich Security Conference.
Originally created to end the Gaza war, the board has expanded its mandate to cover global conflicts, a step critics say may position it as a rival to the United Nations.
At the same time, Gaza’s fragile ceasefire has been repeatedly violated by near-daily Israeli strikes, which have killed almost 618 Palestinians since October.
Israel has killed more than 72,000 people in total since October 2023.
Middle East Eye delivers independent and unrivalled coverage and analysis of the Middle East, North Africa and beyond. To learn more about republishing this content and the associated fees, please fill out this form. More about MEE can be found here.
