Israeli occupation forces launched a raid into western Gaza City on Tuesday, detaining a senior Palestinian security official in an attack that unleashed heavy airstrikes, killing four civilians—including a woman and two children—and wounding over 14 others, a medical source told Al Manassa.
Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz, speaking from the Netiv HaAsara settlement near the Gaza border fence, claimed responsibility for the operation. Katz stated that Israeli occupation forces arrested the head of Hamas’s General Security Service and added that the army will continue pursuing the movement’s leaders and members.
Israeli Channel 12 reported that the detained leader sustained injuries during the operation—which it described as “unusual”—and was transferred to an Israeli hospital following intense ground clashes and heavy bombardment by the Israeli forces.
Israeli public broadcaster Kann later cited a Palestinian source identifying the detainee as Moein Al-Arbeed, an officer in the Internal Security Service of the Gaza interior ministry.
Hamas operates separate security apparatuses in the Gaza Strip alongside the government security forces under its administration, as well as its military wing, the Qassam Brigades.
Under the terms of the ceasefire agreement, governance of Gaza’s public security apparatuses is slated to transfer to the National Committee for the Administration of Gaza (NCAG), affiliated with the “Board of Peace”.
Eyewitnesses described chaotic scenes as the raid unfolded. One witness told Al Manassa that heavy clashes unexpectedly broke out directly outside the gate of the American Field Hospital in western Gaza City, involving gunfire and hand grenades, triggering panic among local residents and displaced civilians sheltered in the area.
The witness added that an Israeli aircraft subsequently bombed several vehicles in the surrounding area while reconnaissance drones hovered heavily overhead.
As ground firefights continued, Israeli reconnaissance drones and warplanes launched more than 10 airstrikes on the area, which was densely populated with displacement tents and adjacent to the field hospital.
The strikes directly targeted vehicles and civilian tents near the clash site, according to witnesses and medical personnel.
A medical source at Al-Shifa Hospital confirmed that the bombardment killed four Palestinians, including a woman and two children, and wounded more than 14 others who were evacuated to the hospital.
The source noted that several victims suffered direct gunshot wounds while others were hit by shrapnel from the airstrikes, adding that some remain in critical condition.
A second eyewitness told Al Manassa he was walking along the street opposite the field hospital when the gunfire and clashes erupted. “We started running everywhere, not understanding what was happening,” he said. “I saw a woman shot in the head, and we couldn’t pull her away.”
Another witness located in a street behind the clashes reported that women and children had gathered around a water distribution truck moments before a speeding car arrived.
Two young men stepped out of the vehicle right before an Israeli missile struck it. The strike injured several women and children and destroyed nearby displacement tents.
Two additional witnesses told Al Manassa that a masked driver operating a minibus managed to escape during the chaos, taking advantage of the heavy smoke and cover provided by the intense airstrikes.
A source from the Al-Arbeed family confirmed to Al Manassa the death of Maha Al-Arbeed, the wife of Moein Al-Arbeed, who was killed in the strikes accompanying the Israeli raid. Her funeral procession moved from Al-Shifa Hospital to her final resting place earlier Tuesday.
Field data obtained by Al Manassa revealed that the ground clashes broke out after an undercover Israeli special force infiltrated the Al-Katiba area in far western Gaza City. The force entered from eastern Gaza, crossing the “Yellow Line,” before engaging Hamas security personnel in clashes that coincided with the intense air raids.
