An Israeli-backed raid to detain a senior Hamas internal security figure in western Gaza City was uncovered on September 1, 2026, triggering heavy airstrikes that killed at least four Palestinians, including two children, according to Gaza officials and reporting by Reuters.
Raid in Gaza City Triggers Airstrikes and Casualties
The operation unfolded on Tuesday, September 1, 2026, when an Israeli special forces unit or an Israeli-backed militia attempted to carry out a covert detention in a crowded neighborhood of western Gaza City. Witnesses reported that warplanes fired at least 12 missiles near the Katiba area, which was packed with displaced families, after the presence of the ground force was exposed. Earlier, Palestinians in a crowded part of western Gaza City had reported a heavy Israeli bombardment, with two vehicles hit and turned to wreckage. Videos captured chaotic scenes, with the sound of gunfire and the aftermath of strikes. Reports say that Israeli special forces and pro-Israeli Palestinian militiamen had entered the area, but their presence was discovered. Some Israeli media suggest that only a local armed militia operated on the ground. A Palestinian security source told the BBC the target of the Israeli operation was a senior official in the Hamas internal security service. A spokesman for Gaza’s Hamas-run government media office, Ismail al-Thawabta, said: An Israeli special forces unit attempted to carry out a security operation in Gaza City, but the unit was exposed while carrying out the mission.
The ensuing Israeli strikes resulted in a number of people being killed and others injured, in addition to the deaths of several members of the special forces unit
, he added. The Israeli military has only confirmed striking several targets in Gaza in order to remove threats
to its troops. Gaza officials confirmed that at least four Palestinians, including two children and a woman, were killed in the airstrikes designed to cover the withdrawing force, while several others sustained injuries. An additional child was killed by Israeli fire in central Gaza on the same day. According to an Israeli security official, the detained individual is the head of Hamas’s internal security service.
Israeli Defense Minister Defends Military Policy
Israeli Defence Minister Israel Katz defended the operation while speaking from the Netiv HaAsara community near the northern Gaza border, stating that the military acts proactively against perceived threats. Israeli Defence Minister Israel Katz said a senior Hamas militant had been detained.
The Israeli military issued a statement confirming it struck multiple targets in the Gaza Strip to remove threats to its security forces. Ismail Al-Thawabta, director of the Hamas-run Gaza government media office, condemned the operation, stating that an Israeli special forces unit had attempted a security mission before being detected and launching subsequent heavy strikes. According to Thawabta, Israel then launched heavy airstrikes, killing and wounding several people.
Ceasefire Strain and Ongoing Disarmament Negotiations
The raid takes place under the shadow of a fragile ceasefire. Israel has continued to carry out strikes on Gaza since agreeing last October to a U.S.-mediated ceasefire. Senior Israeli security and political officials told Epoch Magazine Israel on Aug. 5 that Israel Defense Forces (IDF) Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Eyal Zamir has ordered that every targeted strike in Gaza receive his personal approval. Such operations previously required approval from the head of the IDF’s Southern Command. Under the new directive, Zamir must also obtain authorization from Israel’s political leadership before a strike can proceed.
The officials said the change followed a request from Nickolay Mladenov, the Gaza envoy for Trump’s Board of Peace, to suspend Israeli strikes for two weeks while negotiations over Hamas’s disarmament move forward. They said Israel wants to avoid a confrontation with Trump and demonstrate that it remains fully coordinated with the Board of Peace and committed to the president’s 20-point Gaza plan. Israel has tightened restrictions on targeted strikes in Gaza, signaling that it intends to give U.S. President Donald Trump’s initiative to disarm Hamas a chance despite Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s firm public conditions for an Israeli withdrawal.
The foreign ministers of Saudi Arabia, Egypt, the United Arab Emirates, Turkey and several other countries on Thursday strongly condemned what they described as ongoing Israeli violations in the Gaza Strip, including attacks on healthcare facilities, medical infrastructure and civilian infrastructure. In a joint statement also signed by the foreign ministers of Qatar, Jordan, Pakistan and Indonesia, they condemned the continued loss of civilian lives in Gaza.
Israel’s prime minister’s office said the statement distorts reality
by accusing Israel of jeopardising U.S. President Donald Trump’s 20-point plan while failing to address what it said were continuing violations by Hamas. The plan's first requirement is a demilitarized, terror-free Gaza, yet Hamas continues to rearm, recruit terrorists, rebuild tunnels, and prepare for future attacks,
the prime minister’s office said in a statement.
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