Palestinian Islamic Jihad’s armed wing said one of its fighters was killed during what it described as a failed attempt by an Israeli-backed armed group to abduct him in southern Gaza early on Friday.

Al-Quds Brigades said the force advanced at around 3:30am towards al-Jumeiza Street in the al-Qarara area, north of Khan Younis, with support from Israeli military drones. The group identified the intended target as Fadi Ali Saeed al-Abadla, a member of its al-Qarara Battalion.

According to the Brigades, its fighters detected the infiltrating force during the attempted abduction and engaged it at close range using grenades and medium-calibre weapons.

The group claimed that several members of the attacking force were killed or wounded during the fighting. That casualty claim has not been independently verified, and neither the Israeli military nor the armed group accused of taking part in the operation had publicly responded to it at the time of reporting.

Al-Quds Brigades said Israeli drones then intervened to provide fire cover as the force withdrew.

It said members of the force shot al-Abadla during the operation, killing him before leaving his body at the scene. The Brigades said the attackers withdrew carrying members of their own force whom it described as dead or wounded.

A security source separately told Xinhua that the Israeli military had provided fire cover for the force’s withdrawal, although Xinhua said there was no immediate Israeli military comment on the specific allegations.

Separate Palestinian reporting confirmed that a man was killed in al-Qarara on Friday, while other Palestinians were wounded by Israeli fire in the Khan Younis area. Reuters Connect carried Anadolu footage reporting one Palestinian killed by an Israeli-backed militia and four people injured by Israeli military fire in Gaza.

Incident follows Gaza City operation

Friday’s incident came three days after Israel announced the capture of Muin al-Arabeed, an officer in Gaza’s Internal Security Service, during a covert operation in Gaza City.

Israel described al-Arabeed as the head of Hamas’s internal security apparatus in the Gaza Strip and said Israeli forces and the Shin Bet carried out the operation jointly. Gaza’s Interior Ministry disputed his rank, describing him instead as an officer in the service.

During that operation on 1 September, reports emerged of a special force entering the al-Katiba area in western Gaza City, followed by gunfire and intensive Israeli airstrikes.

The Israeli military subsequently acknowledged that special forces had detained the security official and said air attacks were conducted to remove threats to the forces involved. It said no Israeli personnel were wounded.

Palestinian sources had also reported the involvement of locally recruited armed groups cooperating with Israel during the Gaza City operation. Israeli officials did not formally confirm that claim, although Euronews reported that military sources did not explicitly deny reports of such cooperation.

Growing focus on local armed groups

The latest incident adds to growing scrutiny of Palestinian armed groups operating in areas close to Israeli-controlled positions inside and along the Gaza Strip.

Al-Quds Brigades referred to Friday’s attackers as “collaborator militias”, alleging that they operated under Israeli protection.

Independent details about the group’s identity, command structure and the precise level of Israeli involvement in Friday’s operation remain limited.

The Israeli military had not issued a detailed public statement addressing Al-Quds Brigades’ account by the time of publication.