Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Israel will not withdraw from areas its occupies in Gaza, a day after special forces seized a Hamas official during a raid in a densely populated district.
Mr Netanyahu spoke on Wednesday at a military outpost in Gaza, near the “yellow line” that demarcates Israeli-occupied territory in the strip.
“We control the area. We are not withdrawing. We remain on this line. We control 60 per cent of the strip [and] we are eliminating the terrorists who threaten us,” Mr Netanyahu said.
“We are doing everything to reach our goal: the disarmament of Hamas and the demilitarisation of Gaza. Gaza will no longer pose a threat to Israel. This goal has in fact been largely achieved. There is still work to be done and we will complete it.”
Mr Netanyahu's remarks come despite a push by the US to implement a deal under which Israel is supposed to pull back its troops. Last month, a senior official on President Donald Trump’s Board of Peace criticised Israel’s continuing strikes on Gaza, as well as Hamas’s actions.
Witnesses said the raid that seized Hamas security official Moin Al Arabeed forced displaced families to flee their tents amid heavy gunfire and drone strikes.
Mr Al Arabeed was wounded and taken away during the operation in the Katiba neighbourhood of Gaza city. His wife and young daughter were killed and his other children were wounded during the clash, said a member of Gaza’s internal security services.
The raid unfolded shortly before noon on a street leading to a restaurant, said witness Mahmoud Al Biss, 34. “We immediately fled the tents with the children and women, especially once we realised that something unusual was happening,” Mr Al Biss told The National.
He described armed men emerging from a white vehicle, firing heavily and indiscriminately. At the same time, the witness said, quadcopters dropped bombs, and drones carried out several strikes.
Israel has launched frequent bombardments of the strip despite both sides signing a ceasefire last October. Tuesday’s raid involving Israeli special forces and reportedly Israel-backed Gazan militiamen, however, was an escalation of these attacks.
Israel’s military, which confirmed the use of special forces, did not immediately confirm whether local Gaza militiamen were also involved.
Mr Al Biss said he initially suspected the armed men were Israeli special forces or members of pro-Israeli militias. Residents knew that people connected to Gaza’s security services and police occupied the house where the shooting began, he added.
After about 10 minutes, the gunfire shifted to the street “Right in front of us, those inside fired heavily at Al Arabeed’s leg,” he said. A white bus then appeared on the scene. “Two men then got out of the bus, grabbed him, and put him inside.”
The vehicle headed north through a side street, Mr Al Biss said, as the men continued firing. “What happened was terrifying, especially because it took place in an area that is considered the heart of the city,” he said.
An officer in Gaza’s Internal Security Services described Mr Al Arabeed as a senior official responsible for pursuing suspected collaborators with Israel. Mr Netanyahu said Israeli forces would “probably learn a few things” from their captive.
According to the Palestinian officer, Mr Al Arabeed was known as “the spy hunter” because of his role in arresting suspected moles. The officer said he belonged to Hamas’s armed wing, Al Qassam Brigades, and had personally fought Israeli forces.
For families nearby, the operation intensified fears that danger could reach them in crowded residential areas. Amin Barakat, 36, who lives near the Abu Mazen area, said the gunfire and bombardment terrified his wife and children, although they were not close to the clash itself. He spent hours trying to calm them after learning that special forces were in the area.
“The hardest thing is losing any sense of security and feeling afraid all the time,” Mr Barakat told The National. He described neighbours whose children attended a nursery near the site running through the streets to reach them.
“They ran through the streets with terror on their faces, desperate to check on their children and get them away from danger,” he said.
Political analyst Emad Omar interpreted the operation as an attempt to demonstrate Israel’s ability to reach Palestinian security figures deep inside Gaza city.
He said the raid sent a message to Hamas and other Palestinian factions about Israel’s military reach, while also allowing Mr Netanyahu to present an image of strength to the Israeli public. Mr Omar said that Mr Netanyahu could use the operation to his benefit before an October election.
“It indicates that, over the past three years, Israel has dismantled the Palestinian security apparatus that maintained security and stability within Gaza and protected it against infiltrations by special forces or militias” Mr Omar told The National.
“The operation represents a provocation to Hamas. For example, if Hamas had decided to move forward with implementing the provisions of the second phase [of the Gaza ceasefire deal] and lay down its arms, such an operation could make the movement hesitant to do so.”
