PIJ conducts top-tier op. in Gaza, 'Israel' acknowledges troop killed
Palestinian Resistance groups carry out a deadly Gaza ambush on Israeli forces in al-Atatra and al-Shuja'iyya, inflicting casualties as the occupation military escalates its ground invasion.
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Masked fighters from the Al-Quds Brigades, Islamic Jihad's armed wing, during a solidarity rally in Khan Younis' main square supporting West Bank residents, March 2, 2023 (AP)
Palestinian Resistance groups announced several operations against Israeli troops, as the latter launched their wide-scale ground invasion of Gaza, further escalating the genocide against Palestinians.
Palestinian Resistance fighters detonated a pre-planted GBU-39/B bomb abandoned by Israeli forces, destroying an Israeli military vehicle during its advance on al-Muntar Street in Gaza City's al-Shuja'iyya neighborhood on May 12, al-Quds Brigades, the military wing of the Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ) movement reported on Tuesday.
In the same context, Abu Khaled, the spokesperson for the Martyr Omar al-Qassim Forces, the military wing of the Democratic Front for the Liberation of Palestine (DFLP), confirmed that one of their combat units, operating in northwestern Gaza, set up a well-planned ambush for an Israeli infantry patrol in the al-Atatra area.
Abu Khaled explained that the area had been rigged with explosive devices. The fighters lured the advancing troops into the ambush, where they opened fire and detonated the explosives beneath the soldiers, causing direct casualties. The Israeli force was forced to call for drone-supported reinforcements.
The spokesperson explained that the operation’s staging area had been prepared with explosive devices, allowing the fighters to draw the advancing Israeli forces into the ambush, where they unleashed gunfire and detonated the planted explosives at close range, inflicting direct casualties among the soldiers and forcing the Israeli unit to request drone-assisted reinforcements.
Abu Khaled added that the group’s commander, Zakaria Rami Abu Ouda, was martyred in the fighting, noting that Abu Ouda’s comrades managed to retrieve his body from the battlefield and return it to their positions.
'Israel' admits one soldier killed in Gaza
Meanwhile, the Israeli occupation military acknowledged the death of one of its soldiers during ongoing confrontations in northern Gaza, identifying him as Yosef Yehuda Hirak from the 601st Engineering Battalion. This brings the total number of Israeli troops killed since the war began on October 7, 2023, to 857.
In the same area, the al-Qassam Brigades, the military wing of Hamas, had earlier announced carrying out a coordinated ambush against Israeli occupation forces in the al-Atatra area west of Beit Lahia in the northern Gaza Strip.
According to the al-Qassam Brigades' statement, three military vehicles were targeted with two "Shawaz" explosive devices and a "Tandem" shell, followed by direct confrontations with another Israeli force. The Brigades confirmed that the operation resulted in dead and wounded among the occupation forces, with Israeli military helicopters seen landing at the site to evacuate casualties.
Palestinian Resistance confronts IOF in Gaza
Around a week and a half prior, additional Israeli soldiers were reportedly killed in separate operations by the Palestinian Resistance.
According to the Israeli Public Broadcasting Corporation, one soldier was killed at the time during confrontations in the al-Janina neighborhood of Rafah in the southern Gaza Strip.
He was reportedly struck when an RPG hit a building during the confrontations. Two other soldiers were injured in the same incident.
In the same area, another soldier from the Golani Brigade was killed when an explosive device detonated beneath a tank from the 188th Brigade, wounding the entire crew.
Additionally, a Reserve Sergeant First Class was killed in an operational traffic accident near Nahal Oz along the Gaza border.
The soldier was reportedly struck by a truck during an engineering mission. The exact circumstances remain under investigation.
Palestinian Resistance factions continue to carry out ambushes and targeted operations against occupation forces throughout the Gaza Strip.