Hebrew media reported on Monday that several Israeli soldiers were killed after their armoured vehicle was struck by an explosive device near the town of Jabalia, northeast of Gaza City.
According to the site Hadshot B’zman, four soldiers from the Israeli Armoured Corps were killed at dawn on Monday when an IED exploded in the Jabalia area.
The incident occurred around 5:00 a.m. near Jabalia, where an explosive device was thrown at the crew of a tank. The tank also came under direct fire, targeting its commander. Following the blast, flames engulfed the vehicle, killing all crew members.
The Israeli occupation army has not officially acknowledged the operation or released details. It often delays reporting or conceals such losses to maintain the morale of its soldiers.
Al-Qassam Brigades’ Escalating Operations
On Saturday, the Al-Qassam Brigades, the military wing of Hamas, announced a series of high-profile operations targeting Israeli tanks and vehicles across different areas of Gaza. The announcement came as the Israeli army formally launched a large-scale military campaign named “Gideon’s Chariots 2”, aimed at occupying Gaza City in its entirety.
In a statement published on its Telegram channel, the Brigades confirmed that on 31 August, its fighters targeted three Israeli Merkava tanks near Salah al-Din Mosque and the al-Zaytoun clinic in southern Gaza City. The resistance fighters reportedly returned safely after the operation.
Operation “Moses’ Staff”
In a related development, Al-Qassam last Wednesday revealed details of a new operation called “Asa Musa” (Moses’ Staff) to confront invading Israeli forces in northern Gaza.
The Brigades released a video showing fighters planting and detonating an explosive device under an Israeli armoured personnel carrier, alongside footage of tanks struck by Yassin shells and heavy machine gun fire. The video also captured the daring attempt of a fighter climbing onto an Israeli tank and trying to open its commander’s hatch.
While Al-Qassam confirmed the operation included targeting Israeli vehicles in Jabalia, it did not disclose casualty figures. The Israeli military has also remained silent on the footage.
Israel’s Expanded Military Campaign
These developments followed the announcement by Israeli Chief of Staff Herzi Halevi’s deputy, Eyal Zamir, that the army had launched “Gideon’s Chariots 2” — a campaign to occupy all of Gaza City after encircling it and forcibly displacing its residents. Observers described it as a continuation of the previous “Gideon’s Chariots” campaign, carried out between 16 May and 6 August, which ended without achieving its objectives.
Israel’s security cabinet had already approved the plan on 21 August, after Defence Minister Yisrael Katz publicly endorsed it.
Some Israeli security officials, however, have shown support for a ceasefire and prisoner exchange deal recently accepted by Hamas two weeks earlier. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, backed by Washington, has rejected this approach and insists on pursuing a ground invasion.
Ongoing Destruction and Massacres
For more than three weeks, Gaza City has endured intense air raids and systematic destruction, leaving hundreds of martyrs, thousands wounded, and entire residential districts reduced to rubble.
Since the beginning of the war on 7 October 2023, the Israeli assault has killed 64,300 Palestinians and wounded more than 162,000, most of them children and women. Over 9,000 remain missing, while hundreds of thousands have been displaced.
Meanwhile, famine — the result of Israel’s siege — has already claimed the lives of 376 Palestinians, including 134 children, according to the latest official Palestinian statistics.
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