Israeli media reported on Wednesday evening that a soldier from the Nahal Brigade was killed after being struck by a Palestinian sniper in the Gaza Strip.

Outlets described the incident as a “serious security event,” adding that it unfolded during a complex exchange of fire earlier in the evening, with results described as difficult for the Israeli occupation forces. 

Earlier in the day, the military wing of Hamas, the al-Qassam Brigades, announced that its fighters had targeted two Israeli Merkava tanks with al-Yassin-105 RPGs in the Tel al-Hawa area, south of Gaza City. According to the Resistance movement, the strikes left the tank crews either dead or wounded.

This comes a day after the Israeli occupation military acknowledged the deaths of two soldiers in Gaza, alongside another who succumbed to severe injuries sustained in a Resistance ambush in Gaza City, according to the army spokesperson.

The latest incident underscores the continuing intensity of confrontations across the Strip, with Palestinian Resistance groups escalating attacks on Israeli forces despite months of heavy bombardment and ground operations.

Gaza invasion a 'folly' for 'Israel'

Former member of the Israeli security cabinet Gadi Eisenkot warned that an Israeli occupation army invasion of Gaza City would not lead to an immediate victory over Hamas, according to a report published Saturday by Israel Hayom.

Eisenkot described the idea of storming Gaza City as a “strategic folly,” arguing that “the Israeli army today is under unsuitable leadership.” His remarks came amid continued debate within the Israeli regime over the course of its military campaign against the Palestinian Resistance movement.

Earlier, the Israeli occupation forces' Chief of Staff, Eyal Zamir, acknowledged that Hamas “cannot be defeated militarily or politically, even after an operation to occupy Gaza City,” according to the Israeli Channel 12.

Hamas warns of 'new chapter of genocide'

The Islamic Resistance Movement, Hamas, stated on Tuesday that the occupation's expansion of its operation in Gaza City constitutes a "new chapter in the war of genocide and systematic ethnic cleansing" against the people of the Gaza Strip.