By Nour Abuaisha and Mohammad Sio
GAZA CITY, Palestine (AA) - The military wing of Hamas, the al-Qassam Brigades, said Wednesday that its fighters recently targeted Israeli troops and military vehicles in the eastern and southern Gaza Strip.
The group reported shelling a concentration of Israeli soldiers and military vehicles Tuesday north of Khan Younis, using mortar fire.
It said fighters, in coordination with the al-Quds Brigades, the armed wing of the Islamic Jihad Movement, also shelled an Israeli command and control site in the Qizan al-Najjar area, south of Khan Younis with several mortar rounds.
In a separate statement, the group said its fighters targeted an Israeli armored personnel carrier and two D9 military bulldozers in Gaza City's Shejaiya neighborhood on July 7, using two tandem charges and a Yassin-105 anti-armor projectile.
The Israeli military did not respond to the reports, but said Wednesday on X that one of its soldiers was seriously wounded in combat earlier in the day in southern Gaza.
Since the start of the current onslaught on Oct. 7, 2023, a total of 893 Israeli soldiers have been killed and 6,108 wounded, according to figures published on the Israeli military’s website.
Analysts said the actual casualty toll is likely higher, noting that Israel conceals its human and material losses.
Rejecting international calls for a ceasefire, the Israeli army has pursued a brutal offensive against Gaza since October 2023, killing nearly 58,600 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.