Israeli forces said on Tuesday that they captured a senior Hamas internal security figure during a ground operation in Gaza, while Palestinian health officials said Israeli strikes linked to the raid killed at least four people.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said the target was the head of Hamas's internal security apparatus in Gaza and said he had been involved with Israeli hostages previously held there. Hamas's Interior Ministry in Gaza and Israeli media identified the man as Muein al-Arabid. The Israeli army and Shin Bet domestic security service said in a joint statement that the target had recently worked to strengthen Hamas control over northern Gaza and to advance attacks against Israeli troops. The Hamas ministry said he had been wounded while confronting the attacking force, that his wife was killed and that several of his children were injured. A Gaza security source denied that he had been involved in military activity or with hostages, saying he had focused instead on efforts to combat collaborators.
The military operation unfolded alongside air strikes in western Gaza City. Witnesses described a heavy wave of explosions, and Gaza's civil defence agency said three children and a woman were killed. Al-Shifa Hospital confirmed that toll. AFP footage from the aftermath showed the bodies of children wrapped in shrouds and a wrecked vehicle in the street. One witness told AFP that a jeep opened fire indiscriminately for more than 15 minutes, while another described gunfire and drones followed by multiple strikes in a matter of minutes. The strike pattern suggested the capture raid was backed by suppressive fire from the air as well as on the ground.
Palestinian health officials also reported two further deaths in the central Gaza Strip after Israeli fire hit the area around Al-Aqsa Hospital in Deir al-Balah, including a girl. The civil defence confirmed that count. The Israeli military said its air force struck several targets in the area to remove threats to its forces as the ground operation proceeded. Hamas condemned what it called a criminal operation and said it had been in touch with mediators and with Nickolay Mladenov, who is tasked with helping implement the ceasefire plan.
The episode adds to a pattern of violence that has continued despite the US-backed ceasefire in Gaza. Israel says it is continuing to target people it identifies as militants, while the Palestinian health ministry says Israeli operations since the truce began have killed at least 1,326 people. The Israeli army has said five members of its ranks and one civilian contractor have been killed over the same period. In Gaza City, the latest raid was another sign that the ceasefire has not ended the danger on the ground, even as both sides continue to frame events through competing claims about fighters, civilians and hostages.
For Israel, the capture of a senior Hamas security figure appears to be part of a wider effort to pressure the group, gather intelligence and disrupt what the army says are continuing attack plans. For Palestinians, the reported deaths show how quickly a single raid can spread into a wider round of air strikes and street violence.
