GAZA CITY, Palestinian Territories, Feb 16, 2025 (BSS/AFP) - Hamas said an 
Israeli strike on Sunday killed two police officers and wounded another near 
the southern Gaza city of Rafah, a day after Israel and militants carried out 
a hostage-prisoner swap.

"Two police officers have been martyred, and a third has been critically 
injured as a result of an Israeli air strike that targeted them while they 
were deployed to secure aid in the Al-Shouka area, east of Rafah, this 
morning", the Hamas interior ministry said in a statement.

The Israeli military said in a statement that its air force had conducted an 
air strike in Gaza, aiming at "several armed individuals".

"Earlier today, several armed individuals moving toward troops in the 
southern Gaza Strip were struck by an (Israeli Air Force) aircraft," it said 
in a statement.

A fragile ceasefire that came into effect on January 19 between Israel and 
Palestinian Islamist group Hamas has largely brought a pause to more than 15 
months of fighting in the coastal Palestinian territory.

Since then, Israel has conducted at least one other air strike in Gaza. On 
February 2, it said one of its aircraft fired towards a "suspicious vehicle" 
in central Gaza.

The ceasefire was more recently put to test when Hamas said it would not 
release Israeli hostages on Saturday, accusing Israel of violating terms of 
the agreement, particularly on the topic of aid entry.

In response, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu had warned Israel would resume 
"intense fighting" in Gaza unless Hamas returns the hostages by noon on 
Saturday.

Following intense mediation by Qatar and Egypt the latest hostage-prisoner 
swap was carried out on Saturday.