ALBAWABA - The Israeli army stated Sunday that a captain and Kfir Brigade soldier died in northern Gaza clashes. A third soldier was critically injured in the same incident.
Yedioth Ahronoth reported that the tragic clash occurred in Jabalia, a hotbed of fighting in recent weeks. The newspaper reported that Hamas' Al-Qassam Brigades ambushed Israel's special “Lotar” unit in Jabalia to trap Palestinian fighters.
The Israeli military called it a "severe security incident," indicating heavy losses. Another Israeli soldier was killed by an Al-Qassam Brigades sniper near Al-Khuzundar northwest of Gaza on Saturday.
Haaretz reports 27 Israeli troops and commanders killed in northern Gaza since the ground offensive in Jabalia began on October 5.
Palestinian resistance militants and Israeli forces are fighting more in northern and central Gaza. Palestinian factions claimed to have attacked six Israeli military vehicles Sunday.
The Al-Qassam Brigades said their "Yassin 105" rockets hit two Merkava tanks and a D9 bulldozer near Al-Bureij camp in central Gaza. Later, they announced tandem warhead missile strikes on two more D9 bulldozers nearby.
Al-Qassam published film showing their fighters sniping Israeli forces concealed in a residential structure near Al-Khuzundar in the evening. An armored personnel carrier and D9 bulldozer were attacked near Beit Lahia's western roundabout in further footage.
Resistance Operation Escalation
Islamic Jihad's Al-Quds Brigades fought Israeli infantry and armored units near Al-Hattabiya, west of Beit Lahia. A "Thaqib" explosive device wrecked an Israeli vehicle near Beit Lahia's western roundabout, they added.
