Al-Qassam Brigades fires MANPAD, hits Israeli helicopter east of Gaza
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Hamas' military wing announces that its fighters were able to successfully hit a hostile helicopter to the east of Bureij at the center of the Gaza Strip.
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Two al-Qassam Brigades fighters armed with Strela-2 launchers (L) participate in a memorial for Martyr Mohamed Zouari, in the town of Rafah, Gaza Strip, Palestine, on January 31, 2017. (AFP)
Al-Qassam Brigades, the military wing of Hamas, announced that its fighters targeted and hit an Israeli military helicopter to the east of Bureij at the center of the Gaza Strip.
The Brigades said its fighters fired a SAM-7 air defense missile at the Israeli occupation helicopter.
SAM-7, officially demarked as the 9K32 Strela-2, is a Soviet-made shoulder-fired surface-to-air missile or MANPAD, which various Resistance factions in the Gaza Strip own and operate.
Alon Eviatar, an Israeli analyst of Palestinian affairs, pointed to the fact that on the 20th day of confrontations, the Palestinian Resistance continued to fire rockets toward occupied territories.
He also said that the most important thing for Israelis is that Hamas leaders are killed in the aggression on Gaza.
However, up until now, indiscriminate Israeli bombs and strikes have killed over 7,000 civilians, 2,704 of whom are children.
The Palestinian Journalist Syndicate strongly condemned the continuous crimes committed by the Israeli occupation against people and journalists in Gaza.
In a statement released by the Syndicate, it was noted that 24 journalists, both male and female, have been killed and others have been injured since the start of the Israeli aggression on Gaza on the 7th of this month. Additionally, family members of journalists have also been killed or injured by Israeli bombing.
Healthcare and emergency workers have also been deliberately targeted by Israeli warplanes, which have killed 73 healthcare workers and damaged 57 medical centers, according to the Ministry of Health in Gaza.
Moreover, following their claim that the Southern part of the Gaza Strip would provide a safe haven for civilians, the Israeli occupation intensified its aerial bombardment within the very section of the Strip where approximately a million Gazans sought shelter, as reported by UNRWA.
In response to the murder of civilians. the Palestinian Resistance continues to fire barrages of rockets toward occupied territories.
Read more: Al-Qassam's rockets cover 100s of km between Haifa, 'Eilat'
Various Resistance factions have released messages and footage in which they vowed to take revenge for the atrocities committed by "Israel", as the latter prepares itself for a ground invasion of the Gaza Strip.
The Israeli Prime Minister had previously promised to uproot Hamas from the Gaza Strip, however, expectations have dwindled as the Israeli occupation forces have concentrated their assets in the northern part of the Gaza Strip. Military experts say a minimal attack on the Strip is the most feasible option for occupation forces after acknowledging that the Resistance has heavily fortified its defensive structures.
The invading forces will be met with a maze of tunnels and well-prepared ambushes, which they will have to maneuver through to complete their "objectives". Additionally, the IOF's Gaza Division was humiliated by Resistance fighters who advanced at least 20 km deep from the Gaza Strip, reaching "Ofakim" on the first few days of Operation Al-Aqsa Flood.
Read more: 'Israel' delays ground invasion as US readies for blowback: WSJ
