Al-Qassam Brigades Say They Ambushed Israeli Forces In Central Gaza

The Al-Qassam Brigades, the armed wing of the Palestinian group Hamas, said Sunday that they ambushed Israeli forces in the Al Mughraqa area of the central Gaza Strip

Al-Qassam said on Telegram that their fighters "lured an Israeli force consisting of armored vehicles and trapped it in an ambush."

In another post, it said its fighters shelled "the enemy's command headquarters in the Netzarim axis south of Gaza City with heavy-caliber mortar shells."

There has been no response from the Israeli side to the statement, but they usually limit themselves to occasionally updating data on soldier casualties in the war on Gaza.

Since the start of the Israeli military's ground operation in the Gaza Strip on Oct. 27 last year, 261 soldiers have been killed and 1,584 have been injured, including officers and soldiers.

Israel has killed more than 34,400 Palestinians since an Oct. 7, 2023 cross-border attack by Hamas in which some 1,200 Israelis were killed and around 250 hostages taken.

The conflict has pushed 85% of Gaza's population into internal displacement amid acute shortages of food, clean water and medicine, while 60% of the enclave's infrastructure has been damaged or destroyed.

Israel is accused of genocide at the International Court of Justice. An interim ruling in January ordered it to ensure that its forces do not commit acts of genocide and that it guarantees that humanitarian assistance is provided to civilians in Gaza.​​​​​​​

*Writing by Rania Abu Shamala -