Palestinians carry the bodies of victims of an Israeli airstrike on Gaza City on Aug. 31, 2026. (Credit: Omar al-Qattaa/AFP)
Eyewitnesses reported around a dozen Israeli strikes on Tuesday morning in western Gaza City, where the territory's Civil Defense agency said three people were killed, including two children and a woman, and eight others were wounded. Gaza City's Al-Shifa Hospital confirmed it had received the bodies and the wounded.
Speaking on the Israeli side of the Gaza border, Defense Minister Israel Katz claimed that "a senior Hamas terrorist was arrested" without naming the person or giving further details. The minister boasted that due to Israeli strikes since Hamas' Oct. 7, 2023, operation, nearly 70% of Gaza has been destroyed and has fallen under Israeli military control "with no residents, no tunnels, and no houses."
Security sources in Gaza gave a different account, with one telling AFP the Israeli mission against a prominent Hamas figure was thwarted and that special forces withdrew "on motorcycles under Israeli cover." The forces included an Israeli-allied militia inside Gaza, he said.
Ismail al-Thawabta, head of Hamas's media office in Gaza, said an Israeli special forces operation was "exposed during the mission," prompting heavy airstrikes in the area.
The bombardment also resulted in the "killing of a number of members of the special forces who attempted to carry out the mission," Thawabta wrote on X.
The Israeli military said it struck "several targets in the Gaza Strip in order to remove threats to the security forces," without specifying where the strikes took place or giving any further information.
It said no Israeli troops were injured in the operation.
Separately, in the central Gaza Strip, Al-Aqsa Hospital in Deir al-Balah reported that Israeli fire killed two other people, including a girl.
Despite a U.S.-backed "cease-fire" that took effect in October 2025, Israel has continued its attacks on the Gaza Strip, killing at least 1,318 Palestinians in its ongoing genocide against the people of Gaza.
The Israeli army has reported five deaths in its ranks over the same period, as well as the death of one civilian contractor.
Pezeshkian urges Washington back to talks ahead of Putin meeting; Qatar calls for renewed US-Iran negotiations