SAFA — Just four days after an Israeli airstrike killed employees of Gaza's Ministry of Economy in al-Mawasi, Rafah, an Israeli drone struck police officers in al-Mawasi, Khan Younis, in the southern Gaza Strip on Sunday, killing five Palestinians in another attack on personnel responsible for maintaining public order and regulating essential civilian activities.

The two attacks have renewed warnings that Israel is systematically undermining the institutions Palestinians depend on to maintain security, regulate markets, protect consumers, and preserve a minimum level of stability in a territory devastated by war, mass displacement, and the destruction of essential infrastructure.

Beyond the immediate loss of life, the killing of police officers and the targeting of employees responsible for inspecting commercial goods threaten to weaken law enforcement, disrupt the distribution of essential supplies, and expose civilians to greater risks of theft, exploitation, and disorder.

Gaza's Government Media Office has accused Israel of deliberately pursuing such attacks to push the Strip toward chaos, while the United Nations has previously warned that the dismantling of public institutions in Gaza has contributed to devastating instability for civilians.

Five Police Officers Killed in Israeli Drone Strike

In an initial statement on Sunday, Gaza's Ministry of Interior and National Security said Israeli aircraft targeted a group of police officers and personnel while they were carrying out their duties in the al-Mawasi area of Khan Younis, killing and injuring several people.

The strike occurred near the entrance to the Mango Land area, where Nasser Medical Complex confirmed that five Palestinians were killed and others wounded in an Israeli drone attack.

The five Palestinians killed were identified as Mohammed Zakaria Shaker al-Jamal, Bassam Numan Murad Miqdad, Mohammed Amin Mahmoud al-Nims, Shaher Mohammed Ahmeidan Zaarab, and Mohammed Ali Hussein Abu Shaar.

The attack comes amid continued Israeli military operations across Gaza despite the ceasefire agreement, further endangering efforts to restore basic public services and a measure of normalcy to civilian life.

Trade Inspectors Targeted While Monitoring Goods

The Khan Younis strike followed an Israeli attack last Wednesday on a Ministry of Economy work site in al-Mawasi, Rafah, where government employees and representatives of local merchants had gathered to complete commercial procedures.

In a subsequent casualty update, Gaza's Government Media Office announced that four ministry employees had been killed and more than 30 people injured, including several critically wounded.

A fifth employee succumbed to his injuries on Sunday morning, bringing the death toll from the attack to five.

The Government Media Office accused Israeli forces of attempting to undermine government institutions and destabilize Palestinian society, arguing that attacks on civilian employees responsible for essential administrative functions are contributing to lawlessness and disorder.

According to the office, the targeted personnel were inspecting commercial goods, verifying their suitability for consumption, and working to prevent the smuggling of prohibited materials.

Disrupting these inspections threatens to weaken oversight of unsafe or unsuitable products, obstruct efforts to address commercial violations, and make routine trade procedures increasingly dangerous for both government employees and merchants.

In a market already struggling with severe shortages, damaged infrastructure, and widespread economic disruption, the loss of these regulatory functions creates additional obstacles to the safe movement and distribution of goods.

UN Documented Repeated Israeli Attacks on Gaza Police

The targeting of police personnel did not begin with Sunday's strike.

In a statement issued on June 4, the UN Human Rights Office in the occupied Palestinian territory condemned repeated Israeli attacks on police officers in Gaza, reporting that it had documented at least 12 attacks since the beginning of the year, resulting in the deaths of at least 53 civilians, including 35 police officers.

The documented incidents included attacks on police personnel performing routine civilian duties, such as directing traffic and patrolling streets and markets.

The UN office warned that the systematic dismantling of public institutions was contributing to disorder with devastating consequences for civilians.

It also emphasized that police officers are entitled to civilian protection under international humanitarian law and stated that deliberately targeting them solely for performing ordinary law enforcement duties constitutes a war crime.

The UN findings reinforce concerns that attacks on Gaza's police force have consequences extending far beyond individual incidents, threatening the public institutions needed to maintain order and protect civilian communities.

Attacks on Police Threaten Humanitarian Aid Deliveries

The relationship between public security and civilian survival is particularly evident in the distribution of humanitarian assistance.

In previous remarks, Adnan Abu Hasna, media adviser to the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA), warned that attacks on police officers responsible for securing humanitarian convoys had left aid shipments vulnerable to looting.

He explained that the deteriorating security situation had, at times, forced UNRWA to suspend the unloading and distribution of supplies until routes could be secured.

Similarly, in a statement issued on July 31, 2025, Gaza's Ministry of Interior accused Israeli forces of targeting its personnel while they were protecting humanitarian aid trucks whose contents were being distributed under the supervision of international organizations.

The ministry described these attacks as part of an effort to create chaos and prevent essential supplies from safely reaching the Palestinians who need them.

Gaza's Civilian Institutions Face Mounting Threats

The consequences of weakening Gaza's police force extend beyond security in the streets, just as attacks on Ministry of Economy employees affect far more than the operations of a single government department.

Both institutions perform essential functions that help protect civilians, regulate commercial activity, safeguard goods, and ensure that food and humanitarian supplies reach communities in an orderly and accountable manner.

When police officers responsible for maintaining security are killed and inspectors responsible for monitoring goods are targeted, the resulting disruption leaves Palestinians increasingly vulnerable to theft, exploitation, unsafe products, and interruptions in the distribution of essential supplies.

Against this backdrop, the attacks in Khan Younis and Rafah have intensified concerns that the institutions needed to sustain civilian life are being systematically weakened at a time when Gaza's population is already struggling with the devastating consequences of war.

While Gaza's government authorities accuse Israel of deliberately creating chaos, UN documentation has established that the destruction and weakening of public institutions have already contributed to severe disorder affecting civilians.

The result is a devastating cycle in which those responsible for protecting daily life are killed or prevented from carrying out their duties, leaving Palestinian families to confront not only the destruction of war but also the growing dangers created by the collapse of the institutions meant to protect them.

Source : Safa News