CAIRO (Reuters) – An Israeli-backed raid to detain a Hamas militant in Gaza City was uncovered during the operation on Tuesday, prompting airstrikes to cover the force’s withdrawal that killed at least four Palestinians, including two children, Gaza officials said.
Israeli Defence Minister Israel Katz said a senior Hamas militant had been detained, while Hamas official Ismail Al-Thawabta said an Israeli special force had tried to carry out an operation in Gaza City before being detected.
According to Thawabta, director of the Hamas-run Gaza government media office, Israel then launched heavy airstrikes, killing and wounding several people.
An Israeli security official said the man detained is the head of Hamas’ internal security service.
Israeli media reported the raid may have been carried out by members of an Israeli-backed militia that operates from Israeli-controlled areas inside Gaza.
Witnesses said Israeli warplanes fired at least 12 missiles near the Katiba area in the west of Gaza City, an area crowded with displaced families.
At least four people — including two children and a woman — were killed and several others wounded in the bombardment, medics said. Two vehicles were hit and reduced to twisted wreckage. Another child was killed in Israeli fire in central Gaza, medics said.
The explosions forced many families sheltering in the area of Gaza City to leave, including from a nearby kindergarten, residents said.
In a statement on Tuesday, the Israeli military said it struck several targets in the Gaza Strip in order to remove threats to Israeli security forces.Katz did not provide details about the arrest operation or identify the Hamas militant.
“This is our policy: we do not wait for threats, but rather pursue Hamas terrorists, thwart them, and destroy their terror infrastructure,” Katz said while visiting the Netiv HaAsara community near the northern Gaza border.
