Israeli strikes kill eight Palestinians in Gaza including five police officers and a child

At least eight Palestinians were killed on November 1 in two Israeli drone strikes across the Gaza Strip, according to the Palestinian news agency WAFA and local hospitals. Five of the dead in the southern strike were identified by the Hamas-run Interior Ministry as civil police officers on duty. A four-year-old child was among those killed in a separate strike in Gaza City.

The first strike hit the al-Mawasi area west of Khan Younis. Medical sources at Nasser Hospital reported five dead and several wounded. The Interior Ministry said the officers were carrying out routine duties near schools. Local accounts described panic among children in the area. A second strike on al-Thawra Street west of Gaza City killed three people, including the child, and wounded six others, according to al-Shifa Hospital. One additional death from earlier gunfire in central Gaza was also reported by some outlets, bringing some counts to nine or ten for the day.

The Israeli military stated that it had struck several members of armed groups in the north and south of the Strip. It provided no further details on the specific targets or locations. Palestinian officials described the strikes as violations of the ceasefire that has been in place since October 2025. Gaza’s Health Ministry has recorded more than 1,580 Palestinian deaths and 5,711 injuries since that ceasefire began. Overall deaths in the war since October 2023 stand above 74,000 according to the same ministry.

Al-Mawasi has served as a designated humanitarian zone for displaced civilians. Strikes there have continued despite the designation. The presence of police officers among the dead has been cited by Palestinian authorities as evidence that security personnel are being targeted. Israel has previously stated that it strikes individuals it identifies as belonging to Hamas or other armed factions, including those in civilian clothing.

The November 1 incidents occurred amid ongoing daily exchanges of fire and airstrikes that have persisted under the formal ceasefire. Humanitarian conditions in Gaza remain severe, with large parts of the territory’s infrastructure destroyed. Hospitals continue to operate under strain from both war injuries and shortages of supplies. The child killed in Gaza City was among civilians gathered near a commercial area, according to local sources.

No immediate international mediation response was reported on November 1. Previous ceasefire arrangements have included provisions for limited Israeli operations against remaining militant infrastructure. Palestinian groups have continued low-level attacks. The latest deaths add to the cumulative toll that both sides cite in competing narratives about compliance with the agreement.

Families in al-Mawasi and Gaza City began funeral preparations at local hospitals on the same day. Images from Al-Shifa showed relatives gathered around bodies. The Interior Ministry noted that 75 police personnel have been killed in Israeli attacks since the October 2025 ceasefire. The figures come from Palestinian authorities and have not been independently verified in real time.

The strikes took place as Israeli political parties continued post-election negotiations following parliamentary voting earlier in the week. Opposition figures have discussed forming a broad coalition. Military operations in Gaza have continued under successive governments. The November 1 attacks show that the operational tempo on the ground has not paused for the political process in Israel.

Reconstruction and aid delivery remain limited by security conditions and access restrictions. International organizations have repeatedly called for fuller implementation of ceasefire terms covering civilian protection and humanitarian movement. The deaths of police officers and a child on a single day illustrate the gap between the formal ceasefire and the daily reality of continued lethal strikes.