GAZA CITY, Gaza Strip — Israeli forces entered a northern Gaza town early Saturday and seized a local Hamas leader from his home amid heavy fighting with Palestinian gunmen.
The wanted man’s 14-year-old daughter was killed in the clashes.
The fighting erupted in the town of Beit Lahiya, near the border with Israel. The army confirmed the raid, saying its forces exchanged fire with Palestinian militants.
Despite the renewed violence, Egypt is making another attempt to broker a truce between Hamas and Israel. The deal would also include a prisoner swap and the opening of Gaza border crossings; the territory has been virtually sealed by Israel and Egypt since Hamas’ violent takeover last June.
Israel will respond in coming days to Hamas’ latest proposal, which includes a six-month truce. Hamas’ Gaza strongman, Mahmoud Zahar, said that if Israel rejects the deal, “all options are open.”
He issued the implied threat of more violence in a televised statement Friday, after he returned from talks with Egyptian officials in Cairo.
Israel is skeptical of the offer. On Saturday, a former deputy defense minister, Ephraim Sneh, said the government should not accept a truce with Hamas.
The apparent target of the Israeli raid in northern Gaza on Saturday was Talat Hassan Marouf, a local Hamas leader. The fighting took place around his house, and Israeli forces withdrew after detaining him, said Abu Obeida, a spokesman for the Hamas military wing.
The military said Israeli troops came under fire from inside the house, where Marouf’s family was at the time.
His 14-year old daughter, Mariam, was killed by shrapnel from heavy machine guns, said Dr. Moawiya Hassanain, a Palestinian Health Ministry official. Her mother was injured in the clashes.
Nine other Palestinians, including seven gunmen, were also wounded in the fighting, Hassanain said.
