Israeli forces kill 12 Palestinians in Gaza despite ceasefire truce

Israeli forces killed at least 12 Palestinians across Gaza despite a ceasefire agreement. Medical sources in the enclave told Al Jazeera of these deaths on Friday. Israel continues daily violations of the truce struck last year.

An attack on a police vehicle in Khan Younis killed eight people. Three were civilian bystanders. A separate strike in Gaza City killed two police officers. Two other individuals died in a house bombing in Beit Lahiya.

Gaza's Ministry of Interior urged international intervention on Friday. Officials demanded an end to Israeli targeting of local police. These officers work to restore security in civilian areas.

The ministry stated the Khan Younis attack followed security force intervention. Forces broke up a fight in that area.

"The continued silence of international organisations … regarding the targeting of civilian police officers constitutes complicity with the Israeli occupation," the ministry said. "This encourages further crimes against a civilian institution protected under international law."

"We emphasise that the police force provides services to citizens in the Gaza Strip," the ministry added. "There is absolutely no justification for targeting it or killing its personnel."

Israel has systematically killed police officers in Gaza. The military allies with criminal gangs in the occupied territory.

During the war that started in October 2023, Israeli forces regularly targeted officers securing aid convoys. This targeting led to intensified looting. Looting deepened the hunger crisis Israel imposed on the territory.

A ceasefire brokered by President Donald Trump took effect last October. This truce decreased the intensity of Israeli bombardment.

However, Israel continued attacks on the territory since the truce. Health authorities report at least 984 deaths and 2,235 injuries. These figures cover the period after the truce announcement.

Just this week, Israeli strikes killed five people on Wednesday. Three of the victims were children.

The overall war death toll surpassed 72,500. More than 172,000 others suffered injuries. Thousands of missing people are likely dead and buried under destroyed buildings.

Confirmed casualties represent more than 7 percent of Gaza's population. The enclave holds two million people. The assault turned most structures into rubble.

Leading rights groups and United Nations investigators concluded the campaign amounts to genocide. They describe an effort to destroy the Palestinian people.

Under Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's far-right government, Israel bombs Gaza. Simultaneously, it attacks south Lebanon. This violates a separate truce with Hezbollah.

Hamas called the deadly attacks part of Netanyahu's "unprecedented bloody, fascist approach." The group said this escalation represents a clear failure of mediators.

Mediators and guarantors failed to quell the killing machine. This failure belongs to the international community as well.

More than six months into the ceasefire, President Trump struggles to implement the 12-point plan. The truce relies on this plan.

Israel continues to occupy most of Gaza. Reconstruction in the territory has not begun.

Despite provisions in the agreement, the international security force remains unformed. In February, President Trump assembled his so-called Board of Peace, a body mandated to administer Gaza through a council of Palestinian technocrats. However, critical details regarding the timeline and mechanisms for these forces to assume control of territorial government agencies remain obscure.