Hamas military wing says it destroyed Israeli tank in eastern Khan Younis

By Nour Abuaisha and Rania Abu Shamala

GAZA CITY, Palestine / ISTANBUL (AA) - Al-Qassam Brigades, the military wing of the Palestinian group Hamas, said on Monday that it destroyed an Israeli tank east of Khan Younis in southern Gaza on Saturday, marking the first such attack since Israel resumed its genocidal campaign on March 18.

In a brief statement, Al-Qassam said it “detonated a Zionist tank with a pre-planted explosive device while it was operating near the separation line east of Khan Younis in the southern part of the Strip.”

The group added that its fighters “shelled the area with a number of mortar rounds.”

It is the first time Al-Qassam announced direct clashes with Israeli forces since the army resumed its ground assault in Gaza as part of its ongoing brutal war.

Israel began a surprise aerial campaign on the Gaza Strip on March 18, and has killed more than 1,000 people and injured more than 2,000 others since then, shattering the January ceasefire and prisoner exchange agreement.

More than 50,000 Palestinians, mostly women and children, have been killed in Gaza in Israel's military onslaught since October 2023.

Last November, the International Criminal Court issued arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant for war crimes and crimes against humanity in Gaza.

Israel also faces a genocide case at the International Court of Justice for its war on the enclave.