Hamas police and security forces are operating in Gaza on the second day of a ceasefire with Israel in the battered territory, AFP journalists have seen.

Hamas’s deputy interior minister for the territory, Mahmud Abu Watfah, inspected armed police, some in fatigues and others dressed in black before they patrolled the bombed-out streets of Gaza City.

“We care about the comfort and protection of those who sacrificed with the resistance and paid a heavy price for this bloody war,” Abu Watfah said.

He said they also wanted “to control the situation on the ground in case of any chaos. This was achieved from the first hour of the deployment of the ministry of interior [forces] and the security forces.”