Israeli fire kills three in Gaza City during reported raid, medics say

ByYolande Knell Middle East correspondent, Reporting fromJerusalem.

Key points

• At least two Palestinian children and a woman have been killed by Israeli fire in western Gaza City, Palestinian medics say.
• According to Initial Palestinian reports, a special Israeli unit infiltrated a crowded area using a van and motorcycles.
• Videos from Gaza City captured chaotic scenes, with the sound of gunfire and the aftermath of air strikes.
• It is not clear whether those involved were Israeli forces or members of an Israel-backed Palestinian militia.
• Unconfirmed local reports say that an Israel-backed Palestinian militia carried out a raid and that the Israeli military carried out shelling and air strikes after it was discovered.

Notably, a third child was killed in a separate incident in central Gaza.

According to Israeli Defence Minister Israel Katz, a senior Hamas official had been arrested, but it is not clear whether the announcement is related to the incident in Gaza City.

In practice, a local source informed the BBC that a senior Hamas security official was believed to have been targeted.

In practice, the Israeli military reportedly carried out drone strikes to try to secure the special unit after its presence was uncovered.

For context, the military has only confirmed striking a number of targets in Gaza "in order to remove threats to the security forces", adding that there were no injuries to its troops.

Taken together, the developments around israeli fire kills three in Gaza City during reported raid, medics say point to a situation that is still moving, and the coming days should bring more clarity.