Resistance escalates fight against IOF in Al-Zaytun 20 weeks into war
3 Min Read
Israeli forces face fierce Resistance in Gaza City's al-Zaytun neighborhood.
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Screengrab from footage of Al-Qassam Brigades fighters targeting Israeli soldiers and their vehicles in January 2023 (al-Qassam Brigades military media)
Intense confrontations are escalating between Palestinian Resistance fighters and occupation forces in the al-Zaytoun neighborhood, located southeast of Gaza City, as the Israeli military continues efforts to gain complete control of the area, nearly five months into the war.
In the southern part of Gaza City, heavy confrontations took place, according to sources in the Palestinian Resistance who spoke to Al Mayadeen on Wednesday.
The sources indicated that the Resistance targeted Israeli tanks with anti-tank weapons, forcing them to halt their advancement at the intersection of al-Dawlah and the outskirts of Street 8.
They further mentioned that the occupation forces brought in significant reinforcements to the southern entrance of al-Zaytun, especially noting that the IOF have been attempting to advance towards the heart of the neighborhood since yesterday morning.
Read more: Resistance pounds IOF gatherings, vehicles in Gaza City, Khan Younis
Meanwhile, Israeli warplanes carried out intense airstrikes in the central part of Al-Zaytun, targeting civilian homes and agricultural lands, resulting in a large number of martyrs who are still under the rubble.
Resistance continues in al-Zaytun neighborhood
The Al-Qassam Brigades, the military wing of the Hamas movement, announced targeting an Israeli Merkava battle tank south of al-Zaytun neighborhood using an al-Yassin 105 charge.
Read more: Al-Aqsa Flood marks the beginning of the end of 'Israel': Abu Obeida
Al-Qassam's Resistance fighters also successfully sniped an Israeli soldier in the neighborhood in a separate operation, the group said in a statement.
Meanwhile, the Al-Quds Brigades, the military wing of the Palestinian Islamic Jihad movement, said two Israeli military vehicles were destroyed after crossing into a minefield created by the group in al-Zaytun, consisting of Thaqib high-explosive mines.
Read more: IOF acknowledges 1 dead in North Gaza confrontations, 576 since Oct 7
As for Fatah's Al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigades, the group revealed in a statement that its fighters engaged in fierce confrontation with occupation soldiers and vehicles using machine guns and RPG shells.
The Brigades said that they detonated an Asef explosive device in an Israeli military vehicle right before targeting it with an RPG grenade. Al-Aqsa Martyrs also confirmed targeting a gathering of occupation soldiers and military vehicles with a number of mortar shells and short-range rockets.
For its part, the Mujahideen Brigades said they are confronting occupation forces in the neighborhood, confirming that they had achieved direct hits.
![In a 2021 interview with Frontline by former US special representative James Jeffrey, he says he had "engaged with [HTS] via backchannels while serving in President Trump’s State Department. (Al Mayadeen English; Illustrated by Batoul Chamas)](https://alpha-en-media.almayadeen.net/media/image/2024/12/21/b4a69f2e-8682-43e4-9d37-49482b304ab3/3.png?v=2&format=webp "In a 2021 interview with Frontline by former US special representative James Jeffrey, he says he had \"engaged with [HTS] via backchannels while serving in President Trump’s State Department. (Al Mayadeen English; Illustrated by Batoul Chamas)")
