Hamas’ armed wing says it killed 15 Israeli soldiers in Rafah

ANKARA (AA) – Hamas’ armed wing Al-Qassam Brigades on Saturday said that it killed 15 Israeli soldiers in Rafah.

In a statement, Al-Qassam Brigades said it targeted “a Zionist Merkava tank with an Al-Yassin 105 shell in the Al-Tanour neighborhood east of the city of Rafah in southern Gaza Strip.”

It added that its fighters “killed 15 Zionist soldiers by targeting a house where a large number of soldiers were present with an anti-personnel device.”

“Our fighters stormed the house and clashed with the remaining soldiers using light machine guns and hand grenades in the Al-Tanour neighborhood east of the city of Rafah in the Southern Gaza Strip,” it said.

The Al-Qassam Brigades said that its fighters also “shelled enemy forces stationed at the Rafah border crossing in the southern Gaza Strip with mortar rounds.”

There was no comment from Israel on the statement from the Al-Qassam Brigades.

The Israeli army continues its military offensive in Rafah, which began on May 6, ignoring all regional and international warnings about its consequences.

The offensive has displaced over 630,000 people to Deir al-Balah in the central Gaza Strip, according to the UN agency for Palestinian refugees (UNRWA).

Israel continues its war on Gaza despite a UN Security Council resolution demanding an immediate cease-fire.

More than 35,300 Palestinians have since been killed, most of them women and children, since last October following a Hamas attack.

More than seven months into the Israeli war, vast swathes of Gaza lie in ruins amid a crippling blockade of food, clean water and medicine.

Israel is accused of “genocide” at the International Court of Justice, which has ordered Tel Aviv to ensure its forces do not commit acts of genocide and take measures to guarantee that humanitarian assistance is provided to civilians in Gaza.