A joint force of an anti-Hamas militia and the IDF attempted to kidnap a senior Hamas operative in the Gaza City area this morning, according to Arab reports cited by The Zioneer. After the force was exposed, heavy exchanges of fire broke out alongside extensive Israeli airstrikes. Gazan sources report at least eight people killed in the strikes.
This morning, a joint force comprising an anti-Hamas militia and IDF troops attempted to kidnap a senior Hamas figure in the Gaza City area, according to Arab reports cited by The Zioneer. After the force was exposed, heavy exchanges of fire erupted, and the Israeli Air Force conducted extensive airstrikes in the area. Gazan sources report at least eight people killed in the strikes.
At 11:18 Jerusalem, The Zioneer reported, citing a security source to the Qatari channel Al-Arabi and Israeli security analyst Yair Goldblatt, that the incident was an assassination attempt involving an anti-Hamas militia operating in coordination with the IDF. By 14:27, further details emerged: Israeli special forces were engaged in a firefight in western Gaza City, with over a dozen IAF strikes and the use of smoke bombs in the Shati refugee camp for extraction cover. An archived bulletin at 14:39 confirmed the same assassination attempt narrative.
The Zioneer has previously documented friction between Hamas and local militias cooperating with Israel. In August, it reported that armed gang members attempted to kidnap a Hamas operative in Gaza and that Hamas operatives were arrested while trying to infiltrate these militias to assassinate their leaders.
The identity of the targeted Hamas official remains unconfirmed, and the IDF has not issued an official statement. Casualty figures are based on unverified Palestinian reports.
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Source and signal
- Open-source intake