In a serious violation of the ceasefire agreement in Gaza, air and special forces attacked the Al-Katiba area west of Gaza City with air strikes and gunfire, resulting in numerous casualties. The Israeli Defense Minister announced that the operation resulted in the arrest of a senior commander in the Islamic Resistance Movement “Hamas”, while the occupation forces continued to launch other bloody attacks in various areas of the Strip.
Top trending topics
Eyewitnesses living in the Al-Katiba area, west of Gaza City, reported a sudden security incident in which Israeli warplanes of various types entered the area's airspace and began launching violent raids on the area, causing fear among the citizens, especially since the area is home to many displaced people living in tents, and the Jordanian field hospital is also located in that area.
One witness confirmed that these raids were accompanied by the sound of heavy gunfire from several directions, creating a state of extreme confusion, as the raids and gunfire in several directions prevented the citizens present in that area from fleeing to any place, as they remained facing their fate while trapped inside the tents.
As the shooting intensified at the location, quadcopter drones intervened and dropped bombs in several places there, while airstrikes destroyed several vehicles in the area.
This came after an Israeli special force, accompanied by a militia cooperating with the occupation, was discovered in the area by the resistance security forces, and gunfire clashes ensued. Warplanes immediately intervened and launched heavy airstrikes to cover their withdrawal.
Sources reported that these raids and intensive targeting of the area resulted in the martyrdom of four citizens, including three children and a woman, while eight others were injured. Ambulance crews faced great difficulties in reaching the area and evacuating the victims from there, due to the intensification of the bombing and gunfire.
Ismail Al-Thawabta, Director General of the Government Media Office in Gaza, said that a special force belonging to the occupation army was discovered at the location by the resistance, and its mission was thwarted and dealt with. He pointed out that the discovery of the special force led to the killing and wounding of a number of its members during the operation, which prompted the occupation army to launch an intensive and rapid fire cover through the air intervention of more than 10 different warplanes to evacuate the force and secure its withdrawal. He explained that these violent attacks led to the martyrdom and injury of a number of citizens, after the air force intervened intensively to cover up the immediate failure of the security operation.
In contrast, Israeli Defense Minister Yisrael Katz announced the “arrest of a senior Hamas official,” without naming him.
Israeli media reported the arrest of the head of Hamas's internal security apparatus in Gaza. An Israeli security source told the official broadcasting authority that the detainee "was wounded during the operation in the Strip and transferred to Israel." However, the local Shehab news agency quoted a security source denying the arrest of the head of the internal security service, stating that Israeli forces abducted one of the service's officers after targeting his residence, following the death of his wife.
Meanwhile, Israeli Channel 14 said: “A short while ago, a militia from Gaza, which usually operates in cooperation with Israel, carried out an operation in western Gaza City against a Hamas target.”
She added “After the operation was uncovered, an exchange of fire broke out at the site, and the operation ended successfully.”
She added that “according to reports from Gaza, the Air Force helped the troops withdraw from the site and launched airstrikes on their behalf in the area.”
The broadcasting authority had previously reported that the Israeli army declined to comment on whether the bombing was carried out to protect its forces or militias working for it in Gaza.
Eyewitnesses reported that “martyrs and a number of injuries arrived at Al-Shifa Medical Complex, including 3 children, with injuries ranging from moderate to serious.”
Hamas said that the escalation by the occupation in Gaza “is no longer just scattered violations, but a continuous war in various forms, and a repudiation of the ceasefire agreement.” In a statement, the movement asserted that the intensification of the occupation army’s crimes and attacks on the Gaza Strip, which included the demolition of a number of citizens’ homes in the southern Gaza Strip, the shooting at fishermen in the sea off Gaza City, and the targeting of civilians in all areas of the Strip, represents “a systematic fascist escalation by the war criminal Netanyahu’s government, and a confirmation of its continuation of the war of extermination against our people, and its repudiation of its obligations under the ceasefire agreement.”
Eyewitnesses had previously reported that Israeli fighter jets launched more than 16 raids in less than half an hour on the “Battalion” area.
They also reported that a number of families and citizens were trapped in homes and shops as a result of the continued heavy airstrikes.
Shortly before that, loud explosions were heard as a result of a series of Israeli raids west of Gaza City, which resulted in injuries.
The area is densely populated with displaced people and also contains the American Hospital, universities and shops, which makes the circle of Israeli attacks necessarily a threat to civilians.
In a separate incident, medics said a girl named Israa al-Hissi was killed and two other people were wounded when Israeli forces, moving east of Deir al-Balah in the central Gaza Strip, opened fire on the area.
The ceasefire reached in October 2025 with US support halted major hostilities in the devastated sector, but did not put an end to Israeli military attacks.
