By Omar Alothmani
GAZA CITY, Palestine (AA) - Al-Qassam Brigades, the military wing of Hamas, claimed Tuesday they blew up a booby-trapped house with Israeli special forces in Rafah in the southern Gaza Strip, causing casualties.
In a statement, the Al-Qassam Brigades confirmed that the targeted house had been rigged with explosives.
The group also reported launching mortar shells at Israeli positions south of Yibna camp.
Additionally, it claimed responsibility for targeting an Israeli Merkava tank using a Yassin 105 shell in the Al-Alami area north of the Jabalia camp.
The Israeli army initiated a ground assault on Rafah on May 6, and a ground operation in Jabalia camp and some surrounding areas on May 12.
Meanwhile, the Al-Quds Brigades, the military wing of the Islamic Jihad Movement, said that they fired mortar shells at Israeli soldiers and vehicles advancing near Salah al-Din Gate in southern Rafah.
The group also claimed targeting a gathering of Israeli soldiers and vehicles east of Jabalia camp.
There has been no comment from the Israeli army regarding the statements from the two brigades.
Israel has continued its brutal offensive on the Gaza Strip since Oct. 7, 2023 following a Hamas attack despite a UN Security Council resolution demanding an immediate cease-fire in the enclave.
Nearly 36,100 Palestinians have since been killed in Gaza, mostly women and children, and over 81,000 others injured, according to local health authorities.
Nearly eight months into the Israeli war, vast swathes of Gaza lay in ruins amid a crippling blockade of food, clean water and medicine.
Israel stands accused of “genocide” at the International Court of Justice (ICJ), which in its latest ruling has ordered Tel Aviv to immediately halt its operation in Rafah, where over a million Palestinians had sought refuge from the war before it was invaded on May 6.
*Writing by Mohammad Sio