This article was originally published by Maan News and is republished with permission.

Reminiscent of the Lebanese war of 2006, the Israeli military has once again made a mockery of itself in their latest offensive in the Gaza Strip. The Special Forces mistakenly arrested the wrong Palestinians, shelled buildings that were not real targets and now several Israeli officers have complained that operatives have "disappeared".

Some Israeli army officers have complained that targets for military strikes in the Gaza Strip are lacking. One officer said "the operatives have disappeared; we can't find anyone to shell."

Israeli security sources stated that the Israeli forces took all possible eventualities into account, but never considered that the operatives would go missing. As a result, said the sources, these so-called 'wanted' militants will not be killed any time soon.

The Israeli army admitted that some of the workshops and stores that were bombarded in Khan Younis were not real targets. A woman and her infant were injured in one of the shelling operations.

The Israeli sources also said "all the wanted political and field leaders of the factions disappeared, along with the [Hamas-affiliated] Executive Force members."

"Untraceable"

The Israeli military sources also lamented the fact that their targets had abandoned their mobile phones and disconnected even the batteries, so that the Israelis cannot pursue them.

The active members of Hamas left their homes and families, according to Israeli sources. They stopped seeing their associates and ceased contact with Fatah members, as they believe Fatah might inform Israel of their whereabouts.

Israeli political analysts have said that Hamas and Islamic Jihad activists are happy to hide, because they believe that Israel can only attack them from the air and would not dare to launch a ground incursion into the Gaza Strip.

Arresting "unwanted" Palestinians

Israeli Special Forces invaded Khuza'a, east of Khan Younis, for two hours and kidnapped seven Palestinians before withdrawing and taking the abductees to an undisclosed destination.

Local sources said that the Israeli soldiers besieged the house of the Qadih family and ordered them to evacuate before abducting the men of the family.

Israeli media sites have since suggested that the Israeli Special Forces, who infiltrated Khan Younis on Wednesday morning, made a mistake by arresting the seven local citizens, as they were not the 'wanted' Palestinians.

Another death

Palestinian medical sources reported that a local citizen, 25-year-old Abdur Raouf Ajala, died of wounds sustained last Friday when Israeli warplanes struck a car he was traveling in with other Hamas-affiliated Qassam operatives. The other three traveling in the car died instantly.

Eight Palestinians, including a woman and her infant, were injured in an air strike, which targeted a house under construction, on Wednesday morning, east of Jabalia, in the northern Gaza Strip.

Sources said that the planes launched a rocket at the house of the Naouq family, in which eight of the neighbours were injured. One is reported to be in a critical condition.

Air raids

The sources also stated that Israeli fighter jets launched several air raids, targeting houses and other locations throughout the Gaza Strip, during Tuesday night and through dawn on Wednesday.

The Israeli planes targeted a block factory in the Tuffah area. The same factory was targeted on Tuesday and a man was killed in the first raid. The sources said that the factory was almost completely demolished.

On Tuesday night, Israeli jets bombed two positions of the Hamas-affiliated Executive Force in the Tal as-Sultan area and another located in the vicinity of Rafah refugee camp, both in the southern Gaza Strip. No casualties were reported.