Israel bombs Gaza police checkpoint after gang members attacked
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Mera Aladam
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Tue, 04/21/2026 - 07:29
Meanwhile, Hamas says it will soon respond to proposals for the ceasefire’s second phase, despite talks proving difficult
The sister and wife of Khamees Al-Qassas, killed on Tuesday in an Israeli air strike, react during his funeral at Nasser Hospital in Khan Younis in the southern Gaza Strip, 21 April 2026 (Reuters/Ramadan Abed)
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Israeli strikes across the Gaza Strip killed at least six Palestinians on Tuesday, including in an attack on a police checkpoint, according to local media.
The checkpoint in Khan Younis was struck shortly after midnight, killing three people.
Two other displaced people were killed in a separate bombing, while a woman was shot dead by Israeli gunboats off northwestern Gaza.
The Palestinian health ministry said the death toll since October 2023 had reached 72,560, including 784 killed since last year's ceasefire.
At least five more people were killed in air strikes on Monday, according to local media.
Elsewhere on Monday, members of gangs collaborating with Israel were ambushed in Khan Younis by Palestinian security forces, prompting Israeli air strikes in the area.
Vehicles belonging to the gangs were targeted with rocket-propelled grenades, killing and wounding several members. Exchanges of gunfire between the gangs and security forces were subsequently reported.
Skirmishes between Palestinian factions and Israeli-backed gangs, in Khan Younis, southern Gaza, 20 April 2026 (Reuters/Screenshot)
According to security sources cited by Al Jazeera, gang members killed 43-year-old Palestinian woman Rasha Abu Jazar and wounded five others earlier in the day near the Muawiya Mosque, northwest of Rafah in southern Gaza.
They added that the armed groups advanced further into the area in vehicles, firing randomly at civilians.
Second phase of truce
Meanwhile, Hamas said in a statement on Tuesday that it will soon deliver its final response to proposals presented by mediators and the US-led “Board of Peace” regarding a transition to the second phase of the ceasefire, which includes a plan for the group’s disarmament.
Hamas rebuffs ‘trap’ disarmament plan as Israeli violations stall ceasefire process
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The Palestinian movement has held several meetings in recent weeks with mediators and Nickolay Mladenov, the Board of Peace High Representative for Gaza.
Palestinian sources told Middle East Eye the talks have made little progress due to what Hamas sees as Mladenov’s pressure on the group to accept the disarmament plan, while ignoring its demands that Israel fulfil its obligations under the first phase.
The US-brokered ceasefire, agreed in October last year, was intended to end the two-year Israeli genocide.
Under the agreement, Israel was required to lift restrictions on aid entry and allow up to 600 trucks per day carrying food, fuel, medical supplies, shelter materials and commercial goods.
However, Israel has not met those terms and continues to impose strict limits on aid deliveries, leaving the humanitarian situation largely unresolved.
Palestinian sources said Hamas “completely rejects” the disarmament plan in its current form, describing it as “collective suicide”.
Mladenov, who has been involved in the talks with Hamas, told Reuters on Monday that he remained “fairly optimistic” about reaching an agreement, while acknowledging that the discussions have been difficult.
“We've had some very serious discussions with Hamas over the last few weeks, they're not easy,” he said.
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