Netanyahu says Israel seized Hamas internal security chief in Gaza

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced on Tuesday that Israeli forces had captured a senior Hamas figure during a ground operation in Gaza. The target was identified as the head of Hamas's internal security apparatus in the territory, though Netanyahu did not provide further details. Hamas's internal security official, Muein al-Arabid, had been recently involved in consolidating the terrorist organization's control over northern Gaza and planning attacks against Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) troops, according to Israeli security services.

The Israeli army and Shin Bet domestic security service stated that the captured individual would be transferred to Israel for further questioning. Simultaneously, Israel targeted several other areas to eliminate potential threats to its forces, including an Israeli-allied militia within the Gaza Strip, as reported by a Gaza security source to AFP.

Eyewitnesses reported a dozen strikes on Tuesday morning in western Gaza City, where the civil defense agency confirmed three children and a woman were killed. Al-Shifa Hospital in Gaza City confirmed the death toll. Footage from the aftermath of the strikes showed the bodies of two children, wrapped in shrouds, being carried through the streets, alongside the mangled wreckage of a vehicle. A jeep in the middle of the street was seen firing indiscriminately for over 15 minutes.

Another eyewitness, Mutaz Abu Asr, described the scene as terrifying and unbearable, mentioning over five strikes in less than three minutes. Two additional Palestinian civilians, including a girl, were reportedly killed by Israeli fire in the central Gaza Strip, as reported by Al-Aqsa Hospital in Deir al-Balah. Despite the US-backed ceasefire, violence continued in the Gaza Strip, with Israel targeting Palestinians it deemed militants.

Since the ceasefire took effect, Israeli operations in Gaza have resulted in at least 1,326 Palestinian deaths, according to the Palestinian territory's health ministry. The Israeli army reported five deaths in its ranks during the same period, along with the death of one civilian contractor.