'Israel' admits 1 soldier dead; Resistance destroys 7 Merkavas, 3 APCs

By Al Mayadeen English
8 Nov 2023 11:50
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The Israeli occupation has admitted that one soldier was killed during confrontations on Tuesday, while the Resistance says it put 15 armored vehicles out of service.

An al-Qassam Brigades fighter shoots a tandem rocket charge at an Israeli armored personnel carrier, "Namer", near Gaza's coast, the Gaza Strip, Palestine, November 2-3, 2023. (Al-Qassam Brigades/Telegram)

Another Israeli occupation soldier has been killed in the northern Gaza Strip while three others were critically injured, according to a statement released by the occupation's military.

Following the announcement, the death toll of Israeli occupation forces has risen to 349 since Operation Al-Aqsa Flood was launched on October 7. During its invasion of the Gaza Strip, the occupation lost 36 of its soldiers, which equates to more than half of its total losses during the 2014 invasion of the Gaza Strip.

The recently killed soldier is a First Seargent reservist who served under the infamous Golani Brigade.

The military spokespersons for al-Qassam Brigades and al-Quds Brigades, Abu Obeida and Abu Hamza respectively, challenged the occupation on separate occasions to reveal the true extent of its personnel losses in the Gaza Strip.

Sheikh Ahmed Yassin haunts Israeli soldiers

On Tuesday alone, the al-Qassam Brigades announced that they had destroyed or put out of service 15 Israeli armored vehicles, including 13 Merkava tanks, an armored personnel carrier, and an armored bulldozer.

Since Operation Al-Aqsa Flood was first launched, the Brigades have prided themselves on the effective use of locally produced weapons, such as tactical explosive charges and tandem rocket-propelled grenades.

Al-Yassin 64/105 mm tandem charges have been heavily deployed in the battle, specifically to repel infantry and armored forces from point-blank range. The locally-produced weapon can also be found in thermobaric form, in which the grenade would carry liquid fuel. This allows Resistance fighters to deal extensive damage to fortified troops.

The charges were named after Hamas' founder, Sheikh Ahmed Yassin, who was assassinated via a missile launched by an Israeli helicopter as he was being wheeled off from Fajr prayer on March 22, 2004.

Resistance's cooperation detrimental to "Israel"

On Wednesday morning, al-Qassam announced that its fighters destroyed two APCs and four Merkava tanks, as they confronted intruding occupation forces near al-Tawm roundabout to the northeast of Gaza City. The Brigades also destroyed two Merkava tanks to the western axis of Gaza City and another tank in northwest Beit Lahia.

The announcements coincided with a statement from al-Quds Brigades which revealed that their fighters had also targeted a convoy of Israeli armored vehicles in the morning in the western axis of Gaza City.

Interstingly, al-Quds Brigades, the military wing of the Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ), announced for the first time since October 7 that its fighters used explosive devices and tandem charges, developed by Hamas' al-Qassam Brigades, to target occupation forces.

The Resistance has showcased an exceptional ability to export strategies, production plans, and weapons from one faction to another to further boost Gaza's collective defensive capabilities. This has been showcased by the use of tandem charges by al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigades and al-Quds Brigades, shortly after al-Qassam Brigades introduced the game-changing weapon.

Nothing to lose

Social media users heavily interacted with footage of an al-Qassam surprise attack on Israeli armored vehicles in the Gaza Strip. Users on X lauded the fighter for engaging an occupation forces tank from point-blank range as he ran from an attack tunnel to plant an explosive device on the tank's hull, as he rushed back and fired an RPG at it.

مشاهد من التحام مجاهدي القسام بآليات العدو شرق حي الزيتون وتدمير إحداها من مسافة صفر بعبوة العمل الفدائي وقذيفة "الياسين105".#الميادين #طوفان_الأقصى #كتائب_القسام #فلسطين pic.twitter.com/EGHpHLgCqB
— قناة الميادين (@AlMayadeenNews) November 2, 2023

Palestine's resistance fighters have been described as brave and courageous, standing in contrast to occupation soldiers, who have been instructed to take shelter inside their armored vehicles, as the Israeli military and political command seeks to contain its losses on the battlefield.