Earlier, Palestinians in a crowded part of western Gaza City had reported a heavy Israeli bombardment, with two vehicles hit and turned to wreckage.

Videos captured chaotic scenes, with the sound of gunfire and the aftermath of strikes.

Reports say that Israeli special forces and pro-Israeli Palestinian militiamen had entered the area, but their presence was discovered. Some Israeli media suggest that only a local armed militia operated on the ground.

A Palestinian security source told the BBC the target of the Israeli operation was a senior official in the Hamas internal security service.

A spokesman for Gaza’s Hamas-run government media office, Ismail al-Thawabta, said: “An Israeli special forces unit attempted to carry out a security operation in Gaza City, but the unit was exposed while carrying out the mission.”

The ensuing Israeli strikes “resulted in a number of people being killed and others injured, in addition to the deaths of several members of the special forces unit”, he added.

The Israeli military has only confirmed striking several targets in Gaza “in order to remove threats” to its troops, adding that none of them were injured.

The Gaza war was triggered by the Hamas-led attack on southern Israel on 7 October 2023, when about 1,200 people were killed and 251 others were taken hostage.

Since then, more than 73,460 people have been killed in Gaza, according to the territory’s Hamas-run health ministry, whose figures are considered reliable by the UN.