Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Israeli forces captured a senior Hamas figure on Tuesday during a ground operation in Gaza that Palestinian health officials said killed four people.
The premier said in a statement that the target was the head of Hamas's internal security apparatus in Gaza, and that he had been involved with Israeli hostages previously held there, without giving more details.
Hamas's Interior Ministry in Gaza and Israeli media identified the man as Muein al-Arabid.
The army and Shin Bet domestic security service said in a joint statement that the target had "recently worked to consolidate the Hamas terrorist organization's control over the northern Gaza Strip and to advance terrorist attacks against IDF troops".
They added that he had been transferred to Israel for further questioning.
