Hebrew sources reported the deaths of three Israeli soldiers when a Merkava tank was targeted by an anti-tank missile on a combat front inside the Gaza Strip.
In the same context, Israeli sources reported that a number of Israeli soldiers were killed during a security incident in the Jabalia area in the northern Gaza Strip.
Hebrew media quoted sources as describing the incident as a "new disaster" and a "tough fight" after the first security incident east of Gaza City.
Hebrew news websites confirmed that the Israeli army had activated the "Hannibal" protocol for fear of a soldier being captured, noting that the soldier was later found. Israeli sources had previously announced the death of one soldier and the serious injury of three others during the clash.
Palestinian sources reported that Israeli helicopters landed in the al-Tuffah neighborhood, northeast of Gaza City, coinciding with intense fighter jet overflights. They confirmed that the area was subjected to artillery shelling and smoke bombs.
Israeli media reported that army aircraft were carrying out an evacuation operation from Gaza to Tal Hashomer Hospital in central Israel.
This comes as the Qassam Brigades announced that they had targeted an Israeli armored personnel carrier with a Yassin 105 missile north of Khan Yunis. The Brigades confirmed that they had observed helicopters intervening to evacuate the incident's victims.
Al-Qassam Brigades said in a statement that its fighters targeted "a Zionist Namer armored personnel carrier with an Zionist soldier on board, with a 105-mm Al-Yassin missile, near the intersection of Highway 5 with the western line, north of Khan Yunis, in the southern Gaza Strip."
It explained that its fighters had observed "helicopters intervening to evacuate," indicating that there had been casualties among the Israeli force.
Since the outbreak of the war on October 7, 2023, 890 Israeli officers and soldiers have been killed, including 446 since the ground invasion of the Gaza Strip on the 27th of the same month, according to data from the Israeli occupation army published on its website. Meanwhile, 6,089 officers and soldiers have been injured since the beginning of the war, including 2,792 since the ground invasion of the Strip.
Contrary to the announced figures, the Israeli occupation army is accused of concealing the true number of its casualties, particularly given the numerous announcements by Palestinian factions that they carried out operations and ambushes against its personnel, which they claim resulted in deaths and injuries.
According to numerous international reports, Tel Aviv imposes strict military censorship on its media regarding human and material losses resulting from strikes by Palestinian factions, for several reasons, including maintaining Israeli morale. Israeli officials have also stated on more than one occasion that the army is paying a "heavy price" in Gaza and is facing "fierce fighting" with Palestinian factions.
These operations come as part of the Palestinian factions' response to the genocidal war waged by Israel against the Gaza Strip, with US support, since October 7, 2023. This war includes killing, starvation, destruction, and displacement, ignoring international calls and orders from the International Court of Justice to halt it.
The genocide, backed by the United States, left more than 196,000 Palestinians dead and wounded, most of them children and women, and more than 10,000 missing. Hundreds of thousands were displaced, and a famine claimed the lives of many, including dozens of children.
