Hamas kills several Israeli soldiers in 'fierce fighting' in south Gaza
The Palestinian Hamas resistance movement says its fighters have killed a large number of Israeli soldiers in “fierce fighting” with the regime forces in the south of the Gaza Strip near Rafah.
In a statement released on Thursday, Hamas said resistance fighters ambushed an Israeli 12-man force inside a house in the Tanur neighborhood in the eastern Rafah area with two anti-personnel and anti-armor rockets, killing and wounding several soldiers.
Separately, Hamas’s armed wing, the Qassam Brigades, said it was engaging in “fierce point-blank clashes and confrontations with Israeli occupation forces operating in the El Geneina neighbourhood east of Rafah city.”
“As part of the ‘Gates of Hell’ operations, we detonated a powerful explosive device targeting a patrol of 7 soldiers near the Omar Ibn Al-Khattab Mosque in Al-Tannour neighborhood, east of Rafah. We observed the dismembered bodies of several Israeli soldiers at the scene,” the Qassam Brigades said.
Witnesses and residents in Rafah talked about a large explosion, and Israeli helicopters trying to evacuate the wounded. There has been heavy fighting in the area, they said.
Israeli media reports said an explosion in Rafah in the southern Gaza Strip has killed and injured Israeli troops from the Golani Brigade, who were detonating a building.
There are more reports that many Israeli forces are trapped under the rubble of a building that had been previously rigged with explosives by Hamas resistance fighters in Rafah city.
Israeli forces were said to be facing difficulties in evacuating the dead and injured from the site due to the intensity of the fighting. Footage broadcast by Israeli sources showed some helicopters ferrying soldiers to hospitals.
There is currently an Israeli media blackout on the incident on Thursday and there has been no official comment from the regime there yet.
The incident shows the resistance group remains strong and steadfast, more than 19 months after the start of Israel’s air and ground campaign in Gaza.
Israel said earlier this month it would further extend its offensive across the besieged Palestinian territory.
Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu said the scheme would involve the displacement of hundreds of thousands of Palestinians to southern Gaza.
The Hebrew-language Maariv daily recently said Netanyahu was expected to order an expansion of the ongoing onslaught on the besieged Palestinian region.
Israel has already expanded its ground aggression in Gaza, seeking to seize a large portion of the Palestinian territory.
In the meantime, Israel’s airstrikes claimed the lives of around 110 Palestinians in 24 hours, amid a worsening humanitarian crisis in the Gaza Strip.
The regime’s forces intentionally hit gatherings of displaced Palestinians following a series of airstrikes on a restaurant in central Gaza City, along with dozens of other raids across the strip.
This is simultaneously with the occupation forces starving the people to death, which has resulted in a man-made famine that has engulfed the Gaza Strip.
Since October 2023, Israel’s relentless bombings and inhumane blockade have killed over 52,750 Palestinians and injured over 119,250 others. Most of the victims have been women and children.
