Hamas' military wing says its fighters killed several Israeli soldiers in northern Gaza

By Jomaa Younis and Mohammad Sio

ISTANBUL (AA) - The Al-Qassam Brigades, the armed wing of Hamas, announced on Monday that it killed several Israeli soldiers by targeting an army unit holed up inside a house east of the Shejaiya neighborhood in the northern Gaza Strip.

In a statement on Telegram, the group said its fighters used an anti-personnel shell, hitting the unit and causing “body parts of several soldiers to scatter” before engaging the remaining soldiers with light weapons.

It also reported targeting a Merkava tank with a Yassin 105 shell in the same area.

The operation occurred on May 22, though the statement did not explain the delay in announcing details. The Israeli military has not yet commented on the Al-Qassam statement.

The Al-Qassam Brigades periodically report field operations targeting Israeli forces in Gaza.

These actions coincide with Israel’s ongoing ground incursion and expanding attacks in Gaza, where the Israeli army announced on Saturday the deployment of all nine regular infantry and armored brigades.

On May 4, Israel’s security cabinet approved “Operation Gideon’s Chariots” to expand the war in Gaza, followed by preparations involving the mobilization of tens of thousands of reserve soldiers. The operation began on May 18 with a multi-front ground assault.

Rejecting international calls for a ceasefire, the Israeli army has pursued a brutal offensive against Gaza since October 2023, killing nearly 54,000 Palestinians, most of them women and children.

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.