The Israeli military carried out heavy strikes in Gaza City on Tuesday morning, reportedly in support of a Palestinian militia attempting to abduct an official in the Hamas terror group.
Defense Minister Israel Katz later announced that a senior Hamas member had been captured, without elaborating on who carried out the raid or providing further details on the target. The whereabouts of the official were unclear.
Palestinian media claimed that a “special Israeli unit” infiltrated the western part of Gaza City. In an attempt to secure the unit after it was discovered by Hamas operatives, the Israel Defense Forces carried out shelling and airstrikes in the area, the reports claimed, killing at least three and wounding eight.
At times, Palestinian media has referred to Israeli-backed anti-Hamas militias operating in the Strip as “Israeli forces.” In the past, Israel has provided anti-Hamas militias with air support.
The IDF confirmed carrying out strikes against “a number of targets” in the Gaza Strip, saying it was to “remove threats to security forces” — without specifying whether they were Israeli forces.
