JERUSALEM: The Israeli military said it conducted an air strike on Wednesday in the Gaza Strip, targeting two people attempting to retrieve a drone that had crossed into the Palestinian territory.
The military said the drone had flown from Israeli territory and was subsequently targeted by an Israeli warplane in southern Gaza.
“Recently, several attempts to smuggle weapons into the Gaza Strip using drones have been detected,” the military said in a statement.
“The IDF (military) struck the drone in southern Gaza, along with two additional suspects who were collecting it,” it said, without specifying their fate.
The Israeli military has previously said it thwarted similar attempts to smuggle weapons using drones.
On Sunday, it identified a drone crossing from Egypt into Israeli territory.
“Following pursuit in the area the weapons smuggling was thwarted by the forces,” it said at the time.
It was unclear whether Wednesday’s strike was the first the military conducted in Gaza since the ongoing 42-day phase of a ceasefire took effect on January 19.
Israel and Hamas agreed to a truce following negotiations mediated by Qatar, Egypt and the United States.
Since the truce began, both sides have carried out five hostage-prisoner exchanges, with Hamas releasing 16 Israeli hostages in exchange for hundreds of Palestinian prisoners freed from Israeli jails.
However, the ceasefire is under increasing strain after Israel threatened to resume fighting if Hamas does not hand over more hostages by this weekend.
Hamas, while reaffirming its commitment to the truce, has accused Israel of violations.
Israel air strike targeting drone hits two in Gaza
https://arab.news/67nnm
Israel air strike targeting drone hits two in Gaza
- The Israeli military has previously said it thwarted similar attempts to smuggle weapons using drones
- Hamas, while reaffirming its commitment to the truce, has accused Israel of violations
Senior Hamas figure among 7 killed in Israeli airstrike
- Pair of Israeli airstrikes hit Gaza's Deir Al-Balah, killing a Hamas commander
- Boy, aged 16, among the dead
CAIRO: A senior figure in the armed wing of Hamas was among seven people killed on Thursday in a pair of Israeli airstrikes in Deir Al-Balah in the central Gaza Strip, a Hamas source said.
The Israeli military did not immediately respond to requests for comment on the incident. The Hamas source said one of the dead was Mohammed Al-Holy, a local commander in the group’s armed wing in Deir Al-Balah.
Hamas condemned the strikes on the Al-Holy family, in a statement that did not mention Mohammed or his role in the group. It accused Israel of violating the ceasefire deal in place since October, and attempting to reignite the conflict.
Health officials said the six other dead in the incident included a 16-year-old.
Israel and Hamas have traded blame for violations of the ceasefire and remain far apart from each other on key issues, despite the United States announcing the start of the agreement’s second phase on Wednesday.
More than 400 Palestinians and three Israeli soldiers have been reported killed since the ceasefire took effect in October.
Israel has razed buildings and ordered residents out of more than half of Gaza where its troops remain. Nearly all of the territory’s more than 2 million people now live in makeshift homes or damaged buildings in a sliver of territory where Israeli troops have withdrawn and Hamas has reasserted control.
The United Nations children’s agency said on Tuesday that over 100 children have been killed in Gaza since the ceasefire, including victims of drone and quadcopter attacks.
Israel launched its operations in Gaza in the wake of an attack by Hamas-led fighters in October 2023 which killed 1,200 people, according to Israeli tallies. Israel’s assault has killed 71,000 people, according to health authorities in the strip, and left much of Gaza in ruins.
