Al-Qassam Brigades says it destroyed Israeli armored vehicle in Gaza attack; troops killed or injured

By Anadolu staff

GAZA CITY, Palestine (AA) – The military wing of Palestinian group Hamas said on Friday that it destroyed an Israeli armored personnel carrier (APC), killing and injuring its crew in northern Gaza.

The Al-Qassam Brigades said in a statement that its fighters destroyed the Israeli APC with a Shawaz explosive device and a Yassin 105 shell in Beit Lahia, northern Gaza, killing and injuring troops inside the armored vehicle.

As of 1540GMT, the Israeli military has yet to respond to the statement from the Al-Qassam Brigades.

Israeli army launched a military operation in Jabalia on Sunday, citing the need to prevent Hamas from regaining strength in the area, followed by intense strikes on northern Gaza’s eastern and western regions, the heaviest since May.

The Israeli military warned Palestinians on Monday to evacuate their homes in Jabalia, Beit Hanoun, and Beit Lahia and move south, while Gaza’s Ministry of Interior and National Security cautioned citizens against complying with these orders, calling them “deception and lies.”

Israel has continued a brutal offensive on Gaza following a cross-border incursion by the Palestinian group Hamas on Oct. 7 last year, despite a UN Security Council resolution calling for an immediate cease-fire.

More than 42,100 people have since been killed, mostly women and children, and over 98,100 injured, according to local health authorities.

The Israeli onslaught has displaced almost the entire population of the Gaza Strip amid an ongoing blockade that has led to severe shortages of food, clean water and medicine.

Israel faces a genocide case at the International Court of Justice for its actions in Gaza.

*Writing by Mohammad Sio