Qassam Brigades Claims To Hit Israeli F-15 Over Gaza

The Ezzeddin al-Qassam Brigades, the armed wing of Gaza-based Palestinian faction Hamas, said its fighters managed to hit an Israeli F-15 warplane over Gaza City.



"One of our air defense units managed to hit an Israeli F-15 plane over Gaza City when the latter was trying to hit a target in the city, setting the aircraft on fire," the brigades said in a statement.



The Israeli army has not commented on the assertion.



This is the second such announcement by the brigades in three days. On Wednesday, the group said its fighters have managed to hit an Israeli F-16 warplane over the Gaza Strip, a claim that drew no comment from the Israeli army.



Since July 7, Israel has pounded the Gaza Strip with fierce aerial bombardments with the ostensible aim of halting rocket fire.



At least 865 Palestinians have been killed – mostly civilians – and more than 5730 others injured in Israel's ongoing offensive, now in its third week.



Gaza-based resistance factions, meanwhile, have continued to fire rocket at Israeli cities in response to relentless Israeli bombardments.



According to official Israeli figures, 35 Israeli soldiers and three civilians have been killed since the hostilities began.



Israel's military operation, dubbed "Operation Protective Edge," is the self-proclaimed Jewish state's third major offensive against the densely-populate Gaza Strip – which is home to some 1.8 million Palestinians – within the last six years.



In 2008/9, over 1500 Palestinians were killed in Israel's three-week-long "Operation Cast Lead."



By Mustafa Haboosh



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