Tel Aviv, MINA – Israeli army officials say the ground and air operations in Khan Younis, Gaza, on Sunday night, failed, while Hamas promised to revenge the deaths of seven fighters in the area.
Israeli army spokesman Ronen Manelis hinted that the mission had not proceeded as planned and resulted in clashes with fighters in Gaza.
Israeli land operations to kill or kidnap militants in the Gaza Strip are rare.
But the military argued, his operation was an intelligence-gathering mission and “not murder or kidnapping.”
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Meanwhile, Hamas, which controls Gaza, vowed to retaliate for the attack it called “cowardice”, Nahar Net reported as quoted by MINA.
The Izzuddin Al-Qassam Brigade, the armed wing of Hamas, said Israeli special force infiltrated near Khan Younis in the southern Gaza Strip using civilian cars. Israeli airstrikes occurred when ground operations failed.
The victims of the fallen fighters included a local commander of the Al-Qassam Izzuddin Brigade. He was identified as Nour Baraka.
The other five are also members of Al-Qassam, while the seventh are members of a separate militant alliance known as the Popular Resistance Committee.
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Israeli armies confirmed one of his officers was killed and the others were injured. (T/Sj/RS5)
Mi’raj News Agency (MINA)
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