The Israeli drone strike on the Gaza Strip, which killed three police officers in the enclave, is a gross violation of the ceasefire agreement. The corresponding statement was published on the Telegram channel of the Palestinian movement "Hamas".
“The treacherous attack carried out this morning by an Israeli drone against police officers ensuring the entry of humanitarian aid east of the city of Rafah is a serious violation of the ceasefire agreement“, the statement said. "We condemn this brutal crime and all violations related to the implementation of the agreement and the humanitarian protocol, and we hold the occupier fully responsible for the consequences of this," Hamas added.
In this regard, the movement also drew attention to the recent statement by the Israeli side regarding the ban on the import of block containers for accommodating people and heavy equipment into the Gaza Strip. At the same time, "Hamas" stated that Israel notified the mediators late last week of its intention to fulfill this obligation. As noted in the statement, Israel is also "postponing the start of the second phase [of the ceasefire] negotiations, which confirms its lack of seriousness in adhering to the agreement". Hamas again called on the mediators to intervene and force Israel to "stop its repeated violations of the ceasefire agreement, oblige it to implement all the provisions of the humanitarian protocol and immediately begin negotiations on the second phase."
Earlier, the Al Jazeera television channel reported that Israel had launched a drone strike on a concentration of Hamas police officers in the Rafah area in the southern Gaza Strip. According to the enclave's Interior Ministry, the strike killed three police officers who were deployed in the Ash-Shauk area east of Rafah to ensure the delivery of humanitarian aid.
In mid-January, Israel and Hamas, with the mediation of Egypt, Qatar and the United States, agreed to implement a ceasefire in Gaza, which came into effect on January 19. The implementation of the first phase of the agreement will last 42 days. During this time, Hamas will hand over at least 33 hostages to Israel, including the bodies of the dead, in exchange for Palestinian prisoners held in the Jewish state's prisons.