The Izz al-Din al-Qassam Brigades, the armed wing of Hamas, announced on Friday that it had, in coordination with Saraya al-Quds, targeted a Zionist-affiliated collaborationist force in the southern Gaza Strip amid ongoing hostilities and stalled ceasefire negotiations.
According to a statement by al-Qassam, the collaborationist unit had taken cover inside a residential building in the European Housing area of Khan Younis. Palestinian resistance fighters reportedly struck the position with a TBG anti-fortification shell and an anti-personnel projectile, resulting in deaths and injuries within the unit.
Clashes between resistance fighters and Zionist troops continued for several hours in the surrounding area.
Separately, Saraya al-Quds said it launched a barrage of mortar shells at a gathering of Zionist soldiers and military vehicles near the Abu Daqa junction in the al-Fukhari area, also southeast of Khan Younis.
The Zionist military acknowledged on Friday that two soldiers had been injured in separate incidents in both the northern and southern sectors of the Gaza Strip, where fierce ground fighting remains ongoing.
Truce Stalemate
These developments come as Hamas reviews the latest Zionist response to a US-backed ceasefire proposal. Senior Hamas official Basem Naim stated that the proposal fails to meet any of the group’s “just and legitimate demands,” particularly the call to halt military aggression and lift the siege.
The proposed deal, reportedly approved by the occupation before being presented by US envoy Steve Witkoff, offers a 60-day renewable truce involving limited prisoner exchanges, but does not guarantee a permanent end to the war. A Hamas source described the new terms as a “retreat” from earlier commitments.
Meanwhile, the Zionist offensive, now in its 20th month, has resulted in the deaths of at least 54,249 Palestinians, the vast majority of them civilians, according to Gaza’s Health Ministry. Since March 18 alone, following the collapse of a previous truce, at least 3,986 Palestinians have been killed.
Despite mounting international pressure for a ceasefire, fighting across the Gaza Strip continues, with resistance factions vowing to confront occupation forces until a comprehensive and just agreement is reached.