Gaza City: At least five Palestinians were killed and several others were wounded by occupation strikes in Gaza City on Tuesday, as occupation forces carried out an operation to capture a senior Hamas figure, according to Palestinian officials and reports. Occupation spokespeople said the operation resulted in the arrest of a senior Hamas fighter.

The strikes followed a covert operation by a special force in western Gaza City, which was detected during the mission, according to Hamas officials. Palestinian civil defence officials said five people were killed, including three children, with several others wounded. Earlier reports put the death toll at three or four as details emerged.

Eyewitnesses reported around a dozen strikes in the western part of the city. Gaza City's Al Shifa Hospital received the bodies of those killed and the wounded from the bombardment, according to Palestinian officials.

The illegal occupation military chief Israel Katz said a senior Hamas fighter had been arrested but did not initially identify the detainee. Palestinian sources later identified him as Muein al Arabid, described as the head of Hamas's internal security apparatus in Gaza.

The illegal occupation authorities claimed an operation was carried out to remove threats to their forces. They further said they had struck several targets in Gaza during the operation and that no occupation troops were injured.

Hamas's media office said the occupation force was detected during the mission and that the subsequent air strikes were intended to cover its withdrawal. A security source in Gaza said the operation had been thwarted and that the special force withdrew under Israeli air cover. The source also said an allied occupation militia operating inside Gaza was involved.

Separately, Al Aqsa Hospital in Deir Al Balah, central Gaza, reported that occupation fire killed two other people, including a girl.

The operation took place despite a US backed ceasefire that took effect in October 2025. Palestinian health authorities have reported ongoing military operations in Gaza since the ceasefire, with the territory's health ministry stating that at least 1,318 people had been killed during that period.

The occupation military reported five deaths among its personnel and one among civilian contractors during the same period, however it is well known for not disclosing the correct numbers of dead and wounded in attempts to maintain morale among its mostly conscripted troops and the real number is likely to be considerably higher.