{"id":275209,"date":"2026-09-02T16:27:09","date_gmt":"2026-09-02T16:27:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/iran\/275209\/"},"modified":"2026-09-02T16:27:09","modified_gmt":"2026-09-02T16:27:09","slug":"netanyahu-vows-no-retreat-from-gaza-after-terrifying-israeli-commando-raid","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/iran\/275209\/","title":{"rendered":"Netanyahu vows no retreat from Gaza after ‘terrifying’ Israeli commando raid"},"content":{"rendered":"

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Israel<\/a> will not withdraw from areas its occupies in Gaza<\/a>, a day after special forces seized a Hamas official during a raid in a densely populated district. <\/p>\n

Mr Netanyahu spoke on Wednesday at a military outpost in Gaza, near the \u201cyellow line\u201d that demarcates Israeli-occupied territory in the strip. <\/p>\n

\u201cWe 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,\u201d Mr Netanyahu said. <\/p>\n

\u201cWe 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.\u201d<\/p>\n

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\u2019s Board of Peace criticised Israel\u2019s continuing strikes on Gaza, as well as Hamas\u2019s actions. <\/p>\n

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. <\/p>\n

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\u2019s internal security services.<\/p>\n

The raid unfolded shortly before noon on a street leading to a restaurant, said witness Mahmoud Al Biss, 34. \u201cWe immediately fled the tents with the children and women, especially once we realised that something unusual was happening,\u201d Mr Al Biss told The National.<\/p>\n

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.<\/p>\n

Israel has launched frequent bombardments of the strip despite both sides signing a ceasefire last October. Tuesday\u2019s raid involving Israeli special forces and reportedly Israel-backed Gazan militiamen, however, was an escalation of these attacks. <\/p>\n

Israel\u2019s military, which confirmed the use of special forces, did not immediately confirm whether local Gaza militiamen were also involved. <\/p>\n

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\u2019s security services and police occupied the house where the shooting began, he added.<\/p>\n

After about 10 minutes, the gunfire shifted to the street \u201cRight in front of us, those inside fired heavily at Al Arabeed\u2019s leg,\u201d he said. A white bus then appeared on the scene. \u201cTwo men then got out of the bus, grabbed him, and put him inside.\u201d<\/p>\n

The vehicle headed north through a side street, Mr Al Biss said, as the men continued firing. \u201cWhat happened was terrifying, especially because it took place in an area that is considered the heart of the city,\u201d he said. <\/p>\n

An officer in Gaza\u2019s Internal Security Services described Mr Al Arabeed as a senior official responsible for pursuing suspected collaborators with Israel. Mr Netanyahu said Israeli forces would \u201cprobably learn a few things\u201d from their captive. <\/p>\n

According to the Palestinian officer, Mr Al Arabeed was known as \u201cthe spy hunter\u201d because of his role in arresting suspected moles. The officer said he belonged to Hamas\u2019s armed wing, Al Qassam Brigades, and had personally fought Israeli forces.<\/p>\n

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.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe hardest thing is losing any sense of security and feeling afraid all the time,\u201d Mr Barakat told The National. He described neighbours whose children attended a nursery near the site running through the streets to reach them.<\/p>\n

\u201cThey ran through the streets with terror on their faces, desperate to check on their children and get them away from danger,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

Political analyst Emad Omar interpreted the operation as an attempt to demonstrate Israel\u2019s ability to reach Palestinian security figures deep inside Gaza city.<\/p>\n

He said the raid sent a message to Hamas and other Palestinian factions about Israel\u2019s 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.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt 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\u201d Mr Omar told The National. <\/p>\n

\u201cThe 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.\u201d <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Israel will not withdraw from areas its occupies in Gaza, a day after…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":275210,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":"","_share_on_mastodon":"0"},"categories":[33],"tags":[275,496,37,498,274,273],"class_list":["post-275209","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-israel","tag-foreign-desk-team","tag-gaza","tag-israel","tag-palestine","tag-standard","tag-story"],"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/pubeurope.com\/@iran\/117202389824336009","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/iran\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/275209","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/iran\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/iran\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/iran\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/iran\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=275209"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/iran\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/275209\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/iran\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/275210"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/iran\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=275209"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/iran\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=275209"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/iran\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=275209"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}