❌ SENIOR HAMAS TERRORIST APPREHENDED IN GAZA OPERATION: The IDF confirmed striking "a number of targets" in the Gaza Strip to "remove threats to security forces." No Israeli troops were injured.
Gazan media claimed that a "special Israeli unit" infiltrated western Gaza City before being detected by Hamas, prompting Israeli shelling and airstrikes in the area. Palestinian media has at times referred to Israeli-backed anti-Hamas militias operating inside Gaza as Israeli forces. Subsequent reporting indicated that the alleged "special unit" was apparently an Israeli-backed Palestinian militia. The IDF declined to comment on those specific reports.
Defense Minister Israel Katz subsequently confirmed that a senior Hamas terrorist had been apprehended inside Gaza following reports of a raid by an Israeli-backed Palestinian militia with Israeli air support. Gazan reports initially cited at least one person killed and several wounded in the strikes, with later reports citing four killed.
Katz said: "This is our policy: we do not wait for threats, but pursue Hamas terrorists, thwart them and destroy their terrorist infrastructure. We have built a strong and unprecedented security zone in Gaza to protect the residents and IDF soldiers."
"We are not withdrawing from Gaza until the Strip is demilitarized, Hamas is disarmed and all terror tunnels are destroyed. And even after that, the IDF will remain in Gaza on defensive lines and ensure the security of the western Negev communities."
🚧 SMUGGLING ATTEMPT THROUGH GAZA AID MECHANISM THWARTED: Israeli authorities thwarted an attempt at the Kerem Shalom Crossing to smuggle approximately 100 bottles of liquid nicotine into Gaza, concealed inside beverage bottles.
The shipment was carried by a truck transporting goods purchased by an Israeli company authorized to bring supplies into Gaza through the private-sector humanitarian aid mechanism. Defense Ministry crossing inspectors discovered the concealed nicotine and transferred the findings to COGAT officials.
The truck and its entire contents were confiscated and transferred to Customs and other relevant authorities. COGAT chief Maj. Gen. Yoram Halevy ordered the company's authorization to bring aid into Gaza immediately suspended until further notice. COGAT said Israeli authorities would continue operating with "zero tolerance" against attempts to smuggle goods or exploit humanitarian aid mechanisms.
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