Israeli Forces Suffer Casualties in Khan Yunis Clashes
Israeli sources have confirmed the death and injury of dozens of officers and soldiers in the battles of Khan Yunis, located in the southern part of the Gaza Strip. Media outlets within the occupation described Day 108 as one of the toughest since the onset of the ground war.
The sources stated that two buildings were blown up, and a third collapsed while Israeli military forces were inside, resulting in 22 fatalities and injuries.
Prior to this, the Israeli military announced the loss of three officers from the Paratroopers Brigade, including a battalion’s deputy commander and a company commander, during the ongoing clashes in the area. Three others sustained serious injuries, bringing the total number of military personnel killed to 535 since the start of the war on Gaza.
The Israeli military has also reported evacuating 15 soldiers and officers who suffered various wounds in the Khan Yunis battles. Israeli reports mentioned that the past Monday was one of the most challenging days in Gaza since the beginning of the conflict.
The Israeli army had launched an attack to encircle the Khan Yunis camp, with participation from four battalions comprising the Givati Brigade, commandos, paratroopers, and the Seventh Battalion, claiming that its forces raided dozens of buildings and headquarters affiliated with Hamas and took control over them.
Photographs showed an Israeli army rescue helicopter in action, airlifting wounded soldiers amid clashes with Palestinian resistance in Khan Yunis.
Al Jazeera’s correspondent reported intense skirmishes between Palestinian resistance fighters and the occupying forces near the Austrian Neighborhood cemetery south of Khan Yunis.
Resistance Operations
The Ezzedine al-Qassam Brigades, the military wing of Hamas, announced targeting a “D9” bulldozer in the western part of Khan Yunis with a Tandem projectile.
Moreover, they stated that after the Qassam fighters targeted it during a counteroffensive, Israeli aircraft destroyed their own tank, killing all occupants.
West of the city, the Qassam fighters hit an Israeli force with an anti-personnel projectile, causing deaths and injuries.
The Qassam Brigades targeted a “Merkava” tank with a Yasin 105 projectile and struck an Israeli force fortified in a building with a tandem projectile west of Gaza. They also sniped a soldier in the southwest of the city.
They reported hitting an Israeli infantry unit west of Khan Yunis with an anti-personnel projectile, inflicting casualties among its members.
The Qassam Brigades released images showing an Israeli drone designed for espionage, claiming to have seized it during an intelligence operation north of the Gaza Strip.
On the other hand, Saraya al-Quds targeted a tank and military bulldozer with rocket-propelled grenades west of Khan Yunis.
Saraya al-Quds, in earlier statements, said that their fighters engaged fiercely with occupying forces in the penetration axes at Khan Yunis and circulated footage purportedly showing artillery reinforcement directed at enemy gatherings, soldiers, and vehicles based on valuable intelligence gathered from a controlled drone.
Furthermore, the Saraya al-Quds broadcasted footage from a sniper operation targeting two Israeli soldiers east of the al-Bureij camp.
Additionally, they claimed their fighters struck a gathering of “Zionist enemy soldiers” with a “Badr-1” rocket east of the al-Maghazi camp and shelled with mortars an enemy position east of the al-Zaytoun neighborhood in Gaza City.
Saraya al-Quds announced hitting an Israeli military vehicle with an RPG in the heart of Khan Yunis.
As the battle in Khan Yunis approaches its third month, the Israeli military has yet to secure full control of the province, which is considered militarily crucial by the occupying leaders.
Given these developments, the conflict in Khan Yunis remains a critical standoff with escalating casualties on the Israeli side, which continues to face severe resistance from Palestinian factions.
