Four Killed in Gaza City as Israel Targets Senior Hamas Figure in Ground Operation

On Tuesday, intense Israeli airstrikes and ground forces operated in western Gaza City, resulting in the deaths of four people, including three children and a woman, according to Palestinian health officials. The operation was described by both Israeli and Palestinian sources as an attempt to apprehend a senior Hamas leader.

Eyewitnesses reported a barrage of approximately a dozen strikes in the morning, with the Gaza civil defence agency confirming the fatalities. Al-Shifa Hospital in Gaza City verified the toll, noting that the civil defence functions as a rescue mechanism under Hamas authority.

< AFP footage from the scene depicted the bodies of two children being transported through streets littered with vehicle wreckage, highlighting the chaos of the incident. Eyewitness Wafika al-Helou described the violence as "terrifying and unbearable," recounting how a jeep fired indiscriminately for over 15 minutes. Another witness, Mutaz Abu Asr, spoke of rapid strikes and drone activity within minutes.

Israeli Defence Minister Israel Katz confirmed the arrest of a “senior Hamas terrorist” without providing details, stating, “We do not wait for threats, but hunt down Hamas terrorists, thwart them, and destroy their terror infrastructure.” Katz also claimed that nearly 70 percent of Gaza has been destroyed since the October 7, 2023, attack, leaving it under Israeli military control without residents, tunnels, or houses.

A security source in Gaza indicated that the mission to capture a prominent Hamas figure was thwarted, with special forces withdrawing under Israeli cover. The operation involved an Israeli-allied militia operating within Gaza. Another source reported that while the leadership target escaped, a security official at the scene was abducted.

Operation ‘Exposed’ Amid Airstrikes

Ismail al-Thawabta, head of Hamas’s media office, stated on X that the Israeli special forces operation was “exposed during the mission,” leading to heavy airstrikes. The Israeli military acknowledged striking multiple targets to eliminate threats to its forces, confirming no Israeli casualties.

Separately, in central Gaza, Al-Aqsa Hospital in Deir al-Balah reported two additional fatalities, including a girl, from Israeli fire, as confirmed by the civil defence.

Despite a US-backed ceasefire implemented in October 2025, violence persists in Gaza. Israeli operations since the ceasefire have resulted in at least 1,326 Palestinian deaths, according to the health ministry, whose data is deemed reliable by the UN. Israel has reported five military deaths and one civilian contractor fatality in the same period.

Source link