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People gather around a destroyed vehicle following an Israeli strike in Gaza City on Tuesday. Credit: Omar Al-Qattaa/AFP
People gather around a destroyed vehicle following an Israeli strike in Gaza City on Tuesday. Credit: Omar Al-Qattaa/AFP
Israel launched intense airstrikes and opened fire Tuesday morning in western Gaza City after an Israeli special forces unit operating in the area was discovered, according to Palestinian reports.
The director of Gaza’s Al Shifa Hospital said three people, including two children and a woman, were killed and eight others wounded in the strikes , the Quds News Network reported. Witnesses and local sources reported heavy drone activity and Israeli fire in the area, The Palestine Information Center said.
Several Israeli strikes, along with gunfire and smoke grenades, were reported in the al-Katiba area. Strikes were also reported near the Ansar compound and universities in western Gaza City.
A source said the incident in the al-Katiba area was an attempted assassination. An armed group arrived in the area and opened fire on two people, the source said. According to a Hamas security source, the target was a senior Hamas internal security official.
Israel struck civilian vehicles in the area to provide cover for its forces operating there, the source said.
The Israeli military said it struck several targets in the Gaza Strip to “remove threats” to its security forces.
Witnesses said two cars were targeted in al-Katiba. An emergency services source reported deaths and injuries, while local sources said three children were among those wounded. The casualties were taken to Shifa Hospital.
Several Israeli strikes, along with gunfire and smoke grenades, were reported in al-Katiba. Strikes were also reported near the Ansar compound and universities in western Gaza City.
Elsewhere, a girl was killed and several people wounded by Israeli gunfire east of Deir al-Balah in central Gaza, according to Palestinian sources.
Israeli forces have continued ground operations in several areas of Gaza since Tuesday morning, alongside airstrikes and gunfire, according to Palestinian sources.