Israeli strikes kill four in Gaza as military says it arrests Hamas fighter

Three children among deceased as more than 1,300 Palestinians killed in Gaza since October ceasefire

An Israeli-backed raid to detain a Hamas fighter in Gaza City was discovered during the operation on Tuesday, prompting airstrikes to cover their withdrawal that killed at least three Palestinians, including two children, Gaza officials said.

Israeli Defence Minister Israel Katz said a senior Hamas fighter had been arrested, while Hamas official Ismail Al-Thawabta said an Israeli special force had tried to carry out an operation in Gaza City before being detected. Katz did not provide details about the arrest operation or identify the Hamas fighter.

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.

Some Israeli media reports said the raid may have been carried out by members of an Israeli-backed militia that operates from Israeli-controlled areas inside Gaza.

Read: Gaza death toll from Israel's genocidal war nears 73,500 as 9 more Palestinians killed

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 three people — 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.

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.

In a separate incident, medics said a girl, Israa Al-Hissi, was killed and two other people were wounded when Israeli forces operating east of Deir Al-Balah in central Gaza opened fire on the area.

Ceasefire has not stopped strikes

A United States-backed ceasefire that took effect in October 2025 halted the large-scale fighting that had devastated the enclave, but it has not ended Israeli strikes. The military says such operations are intended to prevent attacks by Hamas and other Palestinian groups.

Hamas accuses Israel of repeatedly violating the ceasefire and undermining efforts to advance a broader plan by US President Donald Trump to end the war. The plan includes further Israeli troop withdrawals from Gaza and the disarmament of Hamas.

More than 1,300 Palestinians have been killed ‌in Gaza ⁠since the ceasefire came into force last October, according to Gaza health officials. The Israeli military says four Israeli soldiers have been killed in attacks during the same period.