Today, Thursday, the Palestinian resistance launched new strikes against the Israeli army in Jabalia, northern Gaza Strip, attacking its rear lines, killing soldiers and blowing up vehicles, while Israel announced that it would send additional forces to Rafah.
In the latest developments on the ground, the Al-Qassam Brigades, the military wing of the Islamic Resistance Movement (Hamas), announced that its fighters, along with the Al-Quds Brigades, the military wing of the Islamic Jihad Movement, clashed with a special Israeli force in the Jabalia camp, killing and wounding its members.
Al-Qassam also announced that its fighters were able, during today’s battles, to blow up and bomb 7 Merkava tanks and 4 military bulldozers with anti-tank explosive devices and shells.
It said that its members attacked the rear lines of the forces penetrating east of Jabalia camp.
Also east of the camp, the Al-Qassam Brigades confirmed that a Merkava tank was blown up by a strobe device from point zero, noting that its crew was killed or wounded.
In the same area, the resistance fighters destroyed an Israeli troop carrier with an Al-Yassin 105 missile, leaving its crew dead and wounded, according to what was stated in one of the Qassam Brigades’ statements.
In the fighting fronts east of Rafah, the Al-Qassam Brigades announced today new operations that included targeting a Merkava tank and a military bulldozer and sniping a soldier with a Ghoul rifle, in addition to bombing the Israeli command and control headquarters in the vicinity of the Kerem Shalom military site with a missile salvo.
Dead and injured
Meanwhile, Tel Aviv Tribune’s correspondent reported that 3 Israeli helicopters landed today in the eastern region of Jabalia camp to evacuate the dead and wounded amid heavy fire cover and smoke bombs.
This morning, the Israeli army announced the killing of 5 of its soldiers and the wounding of 16 others in Jabalia yesterday, Wednesday, and claimed that the dead and injured occurred in an accidental exchange of fire between two Israeli forces.
This brings the number of Israeli soldiers killed since October 7 to 627 officers and soldiers, including 289 who were killed since the start of the ground operation by the occupation forces in the Gaza Strip.
Israeli sources had previously confirmed the killing and wounding of about 20 Israeli soldiers who were inside a building that was blown up in the Jabalia camp.
In the Gaza Strip, the Israeli army reported an explosion of ammunition at a military site, indicating that investigations into the incident were underway.
Additional forces in Rafah
Also on the military side, Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Galant said today that more forces will be sent to the ground operation in Rafah.
In a speech from the border with Gaza, Galant hinted at the intensification of operations that the Israeli army began 11 days ago, and talked about the destruction of tunnels in the region.
For its part, Maariv newspaper said that the Israeli army is preparing to deepen and expand the military operation in Rafah, noting that the 89th Commando Brigade was entered into the combat zone east of the city last night.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said in statements yesterday that the operation in Rafah will continue for weeks and will be in stages.
📹 Targeting a residential square in the middle of Jabalia camp pic.twitter.com/pstqxm7gub
– Palestinian Information Center (@PalinfoAr) May 16, 2024
Bombing and martyrs
On the other hand, Tel Aviv Tribune’s correspondent said that 5 people were martyred today, when occupation aircraft targeted a house for the Kaware family, east of the Gaza European Hospital in Khan Yunis, south of the Gaza Strip.
In Rafah, Tel Aviv Tribune’s correspondent said that the occupation army blew up residential homes in the Al-Tanour neighborhood, east of the city.
In the north, the occupation forces continued the violent bombardment of Jabalia camp, coinciding with the fierce battles east of the camp.
Tel Aviv Tribune’s correspondent reported that the occupation forces destroyed the Jabalia Central Camp market, noting that a large fire broke out in the Block 2 area as a result of the continuous air strikes.
Tel Aviv Tribune’s correspondent also reported the martyrdom of journalist Muhammad Jahjouh, his wife, mother, and children, as a result of an Israeli bombing that targeted his family’s home in the Abu Iskandar area in the Sheikh Radwan neighborhood, north of Gaza City.
According to data issued by the government media office in Gaza, the number of martyred journalists in the Gaza Strip has risen to 145 since the seventh of last October.
For its part, the Ministry of Health in the Gaza Strip announced that the Israeli occupation committed 4 massacres in the last 24 hours, leaving 39 martyrs and 64 wounded.
Thus, the number of war victims since the seventh of last October rose to 35,272 martyrs and 79,205 wounded.
