Hamas Police Chief and Deputy Killed in Israeli Airstrikes – One America News Network
OAN Staff Blake Wolf
6:12 PM – Thursday, January 2, 2025
In the wake of Israeli airstrikes across the Gaza Strip, which reportedly resulted in the deaths of Hamas’ police chief and his deputy, Hamas made the announcement on Thursday.
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The Hamas police chief, Mahmoud Salah, and his deputy, Hussam Shahwan, were reportedly killed during the strikes while situated in a zone designated by the IDF as “humanitarian.” Eleven additional individuals are said to have also lost their lives.
According to the Gaza civil defense agency, “in addition to Salah and Shahwan, eleven people were martyred… and 15 were injured after the occupation aircraft bombed a tent…”
The interior ministry controlled by Hamas strongly condemned the “assassinations” of the two leaders, further accusing Israel of “instigating chaos” and “worsening the suffering of civilians” through the targeted strikes against Salah and Shahwan.
“By executing the assassination, the occupation continues to fuel chaos in the Strip and exacerbate the human suffering of its residents,” the ministry declared.
In contrast, the IDF acknowledged the killing of Shahwan, but did not mention Salah, asserting instead that he was “hiding under the protection of the civilian population in the humanitarian zone in Khan Younis.”
The IDF elaborated, stating that Shahwan was the head of international security for Hamas and was involved in orchestrating attacks against Israeli forces, while “seriously infringing on the human rights” of Palestinian civilians.
“Hassam Shahwan was accountable for crafting intelligence reports in collaboration with elements of Hamas’ military wing concerning attacks on the IDF in the Gaza Strip,” the IDF explained, emphasizing that it took “numerous precautions” to avoid civilian casualties in the area prior to the strike.
This conflict first ignited after the lethal Hamas assaults on October 7th, 2023, which resulted in the deaths of over 1,200 individuals and the abduction of 251 others.
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