Chaos At Gaza Market: Deadly Strike Shrouded In Masks And Fire

At least 18 Palestinians were killed on Thursday, June 26, 2025, following an Israeli drone strike on a Hamas police unit in the central Gazan city of Deir al-Balah, according to local doctors and eyewitnesses.

The targeted unit had reportedly been attempting to regulate prices in a bustling market amid severe humanitarian shortages.

Eyewitnesses told the BBC that Israeli drones opened fire on officers affiliated with Hamas, who were dressed in civilian clothing and wearing masks.

These officers had been confronting local vendors accused of profiteering and reselling goods looted from humanitarian aid convoys.

The confrontation reportedly escalated when the police unit’s commander warned traders, “Either sell at a fair price or we will confiscate the goods.”

Witnesses said some vendors responded with gunfire, brandishing handguns and even a Kalashnikov rifle.

Moments later, Israeli drones launched two missiles into the crowded market.

Video footage from the scene captured chaos and panic, with lifeless bodies scattered across the ground as ambulances rushed to assist the injured.

A doctor at Al-Aqsa Hospital confirmed 18 fatalities had been brought to the morgue, though it remains unclear how many were police officers versus civilians.

The Hamas-run Ministry of Interior strongly condemned the strike, labeling it “a new crime against a police unit tasked with maintaining public order.”

The Israeli military has yet to issue an official response.

This deadly incident underscores the increasingly desperate humanitarian situation in Gaza, where access to food remains critically limited.

Clashes and shootings near distribution sites of the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF), backed by both the U.S. and Israel, have become an almost daily occurrence.

Critics have accused the GHF of compromising humanitarian principles by working too closely with Israeli authorities.

Nevertheless, the organization received an additional $30 million in funding from Washington on Thursday.

This was reportedly part of broader efforts to make GHF the primary aid distributor in Gaza.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has accused Hamas of hijacking aid meant for civilians.

On Thursday, he instructed the military to develop a plan within 48 hours to prevent Hamas from intercepting future shipments.

His directive followed the circulation of a video showing armed and masked men atop an aid convoy truck entering northern Gaza via the Zikim gate.

Israel’s far-right National Security Minister, Itamar Ben Gvir, reposted the footage, accusing Hamas of commandeering humanitarian supplies and urging a halt to aid deliveries.

Hamas, in turn, has denied the allegations.

A tribal committee unaffiliated with Hamas also dismissed Israeli claims, asserting that local clans had independently secured aid distribution.

Thousands of aid parcels were handed out at a Gaza City warehouse on Thursday.

While Hamas officials were present, they claimed to be overseeing operations, not managing them directly.

One woman waiting in line described the scene as hopeful, saying, “When I got the message to collect aid, my children danced with joy.

“I pray this blessing continues.”

In a separate development, the World Health Organization (WHO) confirmed the arrival of its first medical shipment to Gaza since early March.

Nine trucks delivered vital supplies, including 2,000 units of blood and 1,500 units of plasma, to the Nasser Medical Complex.

WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus acknowledged the risks involved in the delivery.

He also emphasized that the shipment was “only a drop in the ocean” compared to the scale of medical needs.

Elsewhere in Gaza, at least 14 more people were reported killed in a series of Israeli strikes.

Among the dead were three Palestinians allegedly waiting for aid near the Wadi Gaza bridge.

Witnesses claimed Israeli drones opened fire on the crowd, while the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) stated that warning shots were fired to deter individuals approaching military positions.

In the Al-Mawasi area of Khan Younis, five members of the Abu Arab family died when a tent housing displaced persons was struck.

A nearby airstrike killed another person, bringing the toll from Thursday’s attacks even higher.

The Israeli military campaign in Gaza was launched following Hamas’s October 7, 2023, attack on southern Israel.

Thee attack let to the death of about 1,200 people, and over 250 taken hostage.

Since then, the Hamas-run Gaza health ministry reports that more than 56,000 Palestinians have died.

As aid remains a flashpoint and military operations continue, the humanitarian crisis deepens, with no clear resolution in sight.

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