GAZA — The Al-Qassam Brigades, the military wing of Hamas, said Thursday that its fighters killed and wounded Israeli soldiers in an “ambush” in the northern Gaza Strip.
“Our fighters ambushed an Israeli army mechanized infantry company east of Jabalia camp,” which consisted of 12 vehicles and trucks loaded with soldiers, said the Al-Qassam Brigades in a press statement.
“We detonated explosive devices in the Israeli vehicles before our fighters finished off the soldiers from zero distance,” it said.
The statement added that the Hamas fighters targeted the soldiers who fled the ambush site towards a house with an anti-personnel bomb, killing and wounding them.
The northern Gaza Strip has been subjected to heavy Israeli air and artillery bombardment since Sunday, coinciding with the Israeli army’s announcement of a ground operation in Jabalia, northern Gaza, aimed at Hamas.
Meanwhile, Israeli army spokesperson Avichai Adraee said Thursday in a press statement that the army engaged in direct clashes with “terrorists” who were in the Jabalia area and had taken refuge in a building.
“The terrorists opened fire and threw a hand grenade at the soldiers, who returned fire and eliminated the two terrorists with shells,” Adraee said.
“During the operation, the division’s artillery units destroyed weapons depots, and during the combing operations, numerous weapons were found, including explosive devices, bombs, weapons and more,” he added.
The conflict in Gaza, sparked by a Hamas attack on southern Israel on Oct. 7, 2023, has now entered its second year. Ongoing Israel’s military operations in Gaza have led to 42,065 Palestinian deaths, according to the latest figures released by health authorities in Gaza on Thursday.
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