At least four Palestinians, including three children, have been killed in Israeli fire and airstrikes across the Gaza Strip, according to Palestinian health officials, as Israeli forces carried out an operation in Gaza City.
Three of the victims, including two children and a woman, were killed in heavy bombardment in the al-Katiba area west of Gaza City, where witnesses reported intense Israeli air and drone strikes. Several other people were also wounded in the attacks.
The Israeli military confirmed that it had carried out strikes against several targets in Gaza, saying the operation was intended to remove threats to its security forces. No Israeli troops were reported injured.
The attacks followed reports that an Israel-backed Palestinian militia had attempted to carry out a raid in western Gaza City targeting a senior Hamas figure. The operation was reportedly discovered, prompting Israeli forces to launch airstrikes and shelling in the area as the operation unfolded.
Israeli Defence Minister Israel Katz later announced that a senior Hamas official had been arrested. Israeli security sources identified the detainee as a senior figure responsible for Hamas’s internal security, although officials provided few details about the operation or the identity of the man.
It remains unclear whether the arrest announced by Katz was directly connected to the reported raid and subsequent Israeli bombardment in Gaza City.
In a separate incident in central Gaza, another child was killed when Israeli forces opened fire in the Deir Al-Balah area, according to Palestinian medical officials.
The latest violence comes despite a US-backed ceasefire that took effect in October 2025 and halted the conflict’s large-scale fighting. Israeli military operations and Palestinian attacks have continued since then, with both sides accusing the other of undermining the truce.
The latest deaths add to the growing Palestinian toll since the ceasefire, as Gaza continues to face widespread destruction and a severe humanitarian crisis.
