** Deadly Israeli Airstrike in Gaza Market Targeting Hamas Police Unit Claims 18 Lives, Witnesses Report **

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In a tragic turn of events, at least 18 Palestinians lost their lives in a drone strike conducted by Israeli forces on a Hamas police unit in the city of Deir al-Balah, central Gaza. This information comes from a doctor and eyewitnesses who spoke to the BBC.

The incident occurred when Israeli drones targeted Hamas police officers, who were reportedly in civilian clothing and wearing masks, as they confronted vendors accused of overpricing goods and selling looted items from aid trucks. The Hamas-run Ministry of Interior denounced the strike, accusing Israel of perpetrating "yet another crime against a police unit responsible for maintaining public order."

Clashes erupted on Thursday as the police confronted the vendors, with the unit commander allegedly shouting, "Either sell at a fair price or we will confiscate the goods." Some vendors responded by pulling out handguns, with one reportedly carrying a Kalashnikov, leading to the Israeli drone strike, according to local residents.

Video footage from the aftermath shows bodies strewn on the ground, panicked shoppers screaming, and ambulances rushing to attend to the injured. A doctor at Deir al-Balah's Al-Aqsa Hospital confirmed that 18 bodies were brought to the morgue. The exact number of police officers among the deceased remains unclear at this time.

This incident comes as civilians in Gaza continue to face difficulties in accessing food, with daily shootings reported at and around US and Israel-backed distribution sites in south and central Gaza. The limited food supplies available in markets are being sold at highly inflated prices.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu accused Hamas of "once again seizing control of humanitarian aid... and stealing it from civilians" in northern Gaza, as he ordered the military to develop a plan to prevent this. This statement followed a video recording of an aid truck convoy entering northern Gaza, with armed and masked men on top, which was shared by Israel's far-right National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir on social media.

Hamas has denied stealing or profiting from aid, and a non-Hamas affiliated committee, the higher committee for tribal affairs, also dismissed Israel's allegations in a statement on Thursday. The committee stated that the distribution of aid was carried out solely through tribal efforts.

In a separate incident, five people were killed in an Israeli air strike on a school sheltering displaced families in western Gaza City, while another five members of the Abu Arab family were killed in an airstrike on a tent sheltering displaced persons in the Al-Mawasi area of Khan Younis, south of the Strip.

The Israeli military is investigating these reports but has requested specific coordinates and times. In general, the Israeli military stated that it is "operating to dismantle Hamas's military capabilities."

The Israeli military launched a campaign in Gaza in response to Hamas's October 2023 attack on Israel, during which approximately 1,200 people were killed and 251 others were taken hostage. Since then, at least 56,259 people have been killed in Gaza, according to the territory's Hamas-run authorities.

The international community is closely monitoring the situation and calling for an immediate end to the violence and the protection of civilians.