'Israel' says fierce confrontations in Khan Yunis

By Al Mayadeen English
Source: Israeli media
9 Dec 2023 15:06

Four Brigades in Khan Younis remain unaffected in their ability to launch attacks against IOF, Israeli media quoted the Israeli army as saying.

Smoke rises due to Israeli airstrikes above buildings in Khan Yunis in the southern Gaza Strip on December 5. (AFP via Getty Images)

Israeli media reported intense confrontations in Khan Yunis, the largest city in the southern Gaza Strip, where Hamas is still capable of launching attacks against Israeli forces.

Yaniv Kubovich, the military affairs correspondent for Israeli newspaper Haaretz, quoted the Israeli army as stating that four brigades of Hamas' al-Qassam in Khan Yunis remain unaffected in their ability to launch attacks against the Israeli army.

The Israeli military acknowledged that Hamas military leaders in the combat in the area continue to mobilize fighters to areas where the Israeli army is deployed.

Although the Israeli military specified that the soldiers in Khan Yunis are affiliated with "Division 98" and operate within various joint forces, including armored units, utilizing support from the air, navy, and artillery, it acknowledged that almost 80 soldiers from this Division suffered were killed since the commencement of the ground invasion in Gaza.

On the eighth day of confrontations since the resumption of the Israeli aggression in the Gaza Strip, #Palestinian Resistance factions have announced a flurry of successful operations against Israeli occupation forces.

Headlining these operations was an ambush on Thursday… pic.twitter.com/cCS8kdCArQ
— Al Mayadeen English (@MayadeenEnglish) December 8, 2023

Among the casualties is Gal Aizenkot, the son of the former Chief of Staff of the Israeli army, Gadi Eisenkot, who was killed in fierce confrontations with Resistance fighters on Thursday.

It is worth noting that the total number of Israeli soldiers killed since the start of the ground invasion has reached 94.

Hamas did not lose control in Gaza: Israeli media

Israeli media reported on Friday that the Israeli military was unable to inflict harm on Hamas, emphasizing that the movement retained command and control in the Gaza Strip.

Commenting on the words of the Occupation Security Minister, Yoav Galant, who claimed that the Hamas movement "has begun to collapse," the Palestinian affairs commentator on the Israeli Kan channel, Elior Levy, affirmed that Hamas' core strength has not weakened, adding that its strength was not particularly harmed in the areas south of the Gaza Strip.

Israeli Channel 12's military correspondent, Nir Dvori, stated that the firing of rockets, particularly mortar shells, from Gaza toward the Gaza Envelope is ongoing.

The military spokesperson for the Al-Qassam Brigades, Abu Obeida, announced on Friday that the Resistance fighters successfully destroyed 21 military vehicles, either entirely or partially, in all combat zones in the Gaza Strip over the last 24 hours.

Abu Obeida confirmed that the Resistance fighters detonated several tunnel openings and targeted buildings where Israeli soldiers were hiding. They also attacked military gatherings using mortar and short-range rocket assaults and launched intense missile barrages toward 'Tel Aviv' and other targets.