Battles rage in North Gaza as Palestinian fighters ambush Israeli troops
Palestinian fighters engaged Israeli forces in fierce battles in northern Gaza City’s Shujayea neighborhood, a day after tanks and troops rolled in, causing tens of thousands of civilians to flee.
On Friday, al-Quds Brigades, the armed wing of Palestinian Islamic Jihad, claimed responsibility for blowing up a booby-trapped residential building in Shujayea, resulting in the deaths of four Israeli soldiers and injuries to five others. Explosive used was an undetonated F-16 missile recovered after being fired from an Israeli warplane.
The Qassam Brigades, Hamas’s armed wing, reported continued “violent clashes” with Israeli forces, utilising anti-tank rockets and small-arms fire.
Israeli forces carried out heavy air and artillery attacks and sent armored vehicles into northern Gaza on Thursday, following their withdrawal in January. The renewed assault has displaced at least 60,000 people from Gaza City, according to UN spokesperson Stephane Dujarric.
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While no official confirmation of the soldiers’ deaths in Shujayea was available, the Israeli military reported one soldier killed and nine wounded in Gaza clashes over the last 24 hours. Ground operations, backed by air raids, continue in northern Gaza, killing “dozens” of fighters, according to the Israeli army.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu recently suggested that the “intense phase” of the war is winding down. The military detailed that soldiers conducted targeted raids in Shujayea based on intelligence about the presence of terrorists and terrorist infrastructure.
Since October 7, 2023, at least 668 Israeli soldiers have been killed, with more than 300 fatalities since the ground invasion began. Another 3,953 have been wounded. Israel claims to have killed around 15,000 Palestinian fighters during the conflict.
In southern Rafah, Hamas fighters ambushed and destroyed an Israeli military vehicle earlier this month, killing eight soldiers.
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