IOF soldier killed, 10 wounded in fierce confrontations in Khan Younis
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An explosive device hit an Israeli armored vehicle in Khan Younis, as Palestinian fighters intensify direct combat against occupation forces in southern Gaza.
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Israeli army vehicles inside the southern Gaza Strip, Sunday, June 8, 2025 (AP)
The Israeli military confirmed on Tuesday the killing of a soldier from the Golani Brigade’s 12th Battalion and the injury of 10 others, four of them seriously, during a military operation in the city of Khan Younis in southern Gaza.
According to Israeli Army Radio, the casualties occurred when Palestinian Resistance fighters planted an explosive device on a Namer armored personnel carrier transporting the unit. The explosion killed one soldier instantly and wounded the others, including a senior officer.
The report added that the Israeli unit had identified the Palestinian fighters moments before the detonation, which triggered a direct exchange of fire between the two sides.
Just hours earlier, a separate Israeli reserve officer was reportedly killed by a booby-trapped explosive rigged inside a building in the same area.
Shin Bet member slain
Israeli media reported that the slain soldier was a member of the Shin Bet.
Identified as Captain Tal Movshovitz, he served as a deputy company commander in the 7086th Combat Engineering Battalion in reserves.
The Shin Bet said that outside of his reserve duty, Movshovitz was a combat commander in the agency.
In a statement following the incidents, the Israeli military acknowledged the intensifying nature of engagements in Gaza, citing a rise in confrontations from point-blank.
Al-Qassam, al-Quds Brigades launch joint ops on Israeli forces in Gaza
The military wings of Hamas and the Palestinian Islamic Jihad announced a series of coordinated operations targeting Israeli occupation forces in the Gaza Strip, resulting in casualties and damaged military equipment, according to statements released on Monday.
In a joint operation, fighters from the al-Qassam Brigades and the al-Quds Brigades targeted an Israeli infantry unit that had taken shelter inside a house. The unit was struck with an anti-personnel explosive device, reportedly leaving members of the force either dead or wounded.
Additionally, an al-Qassam Brigades sniper said he had shot and wounded an Israeli soldier in the same location using the locally manufactured Ghoul sniper rifle. The operation took place in the al-Sanati area, east of Abasan al-Kabira near Khan Younis in southern Gaza.
Military vehicles hit in northern, southern Gaza
In a separate action, al-Qassam fighters confirmed targeting both an Israeli armored personnel carrier and a Merkava tank using a high-powered roadside explosive device and a martyrdom explosive device in eastern Jabalia, north of Gaza, on June 10, 2025.
According to a follow-up statement, another Merkava tank was targeted with a powerful explosive device on June 11 along al-Sikka Street in eastern Jabalia.
Meanwhile, the al-Quds Brigades, the armed wing of the Palestinian Islamic Jihad, reported shelling a concentration of Israeli troops and military vehicles stationed around al-Qarara Municipality in northern Khan Younis with a barrage of 60mm mortar shells.
In another development, the al-Quds Brigades said its special forces confronted Israeli troops in close-range combat east of the al-Shujaiya neighborhood in Gaza City on Sunday evening. The confrontation resulted in Israeli casualties, with several soldiers reportedly killed or injured.
Hamas: Netanyahu’s victory claims are illusions
Palestinian Resistance movement Hamas stressed that "Israel’s" escalating military campaign is "only deepening its losses and pushing its captives further into the unknown." Hamas reiterated that "there is no solution except through a comprehensive agreement, a path Netanyahu continues to reject."
Dismissing Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s rhetoric of "absolute victory" as a "misleading illusion", Hamas declared that "the war Netanyahu sought to make endless has become a daily burden," warning that his insistence on prolonging the aggression would ultimately "mark the end of his political and personal career."
These statements follow reports by Israeli media that 12 Israeli soldiers were evacuated from Khan Younis in southern Gaza after a booby-trapped building they were in exploded during an operation.
Most of the injured personnel are reportedly members of elite military units.
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