The al-Qassam Brigades, the military wing of Hamas, announced on Thursday that its fighters carried out a raid at dawn against a gathering of Zionist occupation soldiers and military vehicles in the Abasan al-Kabira area, east of Khan Younis in the southern Gaza Strip.
In a statement, the Brigades said that its fighters targeted a Merkava tank and an armored personnel carrier with Yassin-105 anti-armor shells. Two military excavators were also hit during the same operation using similar munitions.
The group added that during the operation, its fighters attempted to capture a Zionist soldier. However, due to battlefield conditions, they were unable to do so and instead neutralized the soldier and seized his weapon.
Following the confrontation, al-Qassam fighters observed a helicopter landing at the site of the operation to carry out an evacuation, underscoring the intensity of the battle in the targeted area.
The Al-Qassam Brigades also noted that five days earlier, they had targeted a Merkava tank in the same region with a powerful improvised explosive device (IED), highlighting the sustained resistance activity in eastern Khan Younis as Zionist occupation forces continue their ground operations in Gaza.
Occupation on blast amid discrepancies
The occupation is facing mounting scrutiny and accusations of suppressing real-time information from the public, following a deadly ambush by the Palestinian Resistance in northern Gaza that was initially misreported.
On Tuesday, the Zionist military confirmed that five soldiers from the Netzah Yehuda Battalion were killed and two others seriously wounded after explosive devices detonated during battles in the area. The announcement came only after occupation media had circulated inaccurate preliminary casualty figures.
Later reports indicated that the total number of wounded occupation soldiers had reached 14, including two in critical condition, six with moderate injuries, and six with minor wounds.
The discrepancy between the initial and updated figures sparked public scrutiny over the concealment of accurate casualty data, raising further concerns about the deliberate withholding of critical data from the public.
Censorship to control public consciousness
Palestinian Resistance Seeks Full Zionist Withdrawal
Hamas confirmed Wednesday evening that its leadership is continuing “intensive and responsible” efforts to ensure the success of ongoing negotiations aimed at securing a comprehensive ceasefire agreement to end the regime’s devastating war on Gaza.
In an official statement, Hamas stressed its commitment to reaching an agreement that would guarantee the urgent and sustained flow of humanitarian aid into the Gaza Strip, alleviate the worsening humanitarian crisis, and bring an end to the aggression that began on October 7, 2023.
The group affirmed it has been “working seriously and positively” with mediators to overcome obstacles in the talks, despite what it described as the intransigence of the Israeli occupation. Hamas emphasized that it had shown the “necessary flexibility” in pursuit of a successful outcome, including agreeing to release 10 Israeli captives held in Gaza as part of a broader agreement.
However, the movement made it clear that key issues remain under negotiation, particularly the permanent and unhindered entry of humanitarian aid, the full withdrawal of occupation forces from the Gaza Strip, and the establishment of a complete and lasting ceasefire.