Israeli soldiers killed in Shejaiya

TEHRAN: The Israeli occupation forces (IOF) are struggling to control the Shejaiya neighborhood in Gaza city, while the Palestinian resistance forces continue to be engaged in fierce clashes with the invading forces, in which at least four soldiers have been killed.

Nearly ten more Israeli soldiers were injured in the neighborhood east of Gaza City as the violent exchange of fire apparently intensified.

The occupation of Shejaiya and the rest of the northern Gaza Strip has proven difficult for the Israeli military. The IOF has repeatedly entered the neighborhood over the past eight months.

In all invasions, the Palestinians have dealt fatal blows to the occupying army and forced it to retreat.

In the last 48 hours, Palestinian resistance forces have detonated more than ten improvised explosive devices, including an unexploded Israeli bomb, and managed to damage or destroy at least eight Israeli military vehicles, as well as inflicting casualties among the soldiers.

Except for the killing of women and children and the displacement of thousands more during the recent Israeli invasion, IOF attacks in Shejaiya aimed at eliminating Palestinian resistance have proven futile.

UN spokesman Stephane Dujarric told reporters on Friday that at least 60,000 Palestinians were displaced from their homes in Gaza City on Thursday due to the intensity of Israeli attacks.

Although IOF soldiers and armored vehicles advanced deep into Shajaiya, the al-Qassam Brigades, the armed wing of Hamas, claimed they were facing the invading forces at point-blank range, resulting in casualties that required evacuation by helicopter.

Hamas said its fighters had attacked Israeli troops and armored vehicles in the streets of Baghdad with mortar shells, further increasing the intensity of the clashes.

Meanwhile, the Al-Quds Brigades, the armed wing of the Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ), carried out a sophisticated operation in which they lured an Israeli unit into a booby-trapped tunnel in a building in the neighborhood.

The Al-Quds Brigades said its engineers managed to reactivate an unexploded F-16 missile and detonate the munitions in a tunnel beneath the booby-trapped building, inflicting significant damage on the invading forces.

The PIJ’s armed wing launched attacks with mortar shells and anti-tank grenades on concentrations of IOF units in the neighborhood, supporting the defense efforts against the invaders.

Israeli media confirmed the loss of four soldiers during the fighting and reported ongoing helicopter evacuations of the injured to hospitals, including Assuta, Soroka, Ichilov and Hadassah, highlighting the severity of the clashes.

The Al-Quds Brigades also expanded its sphere of influence beyond Gaza, firing rocket attacks on the settlement of Sderot and other settlements on the outskirts of the Gaza Strip, leading to reports of injuries and widespread unrest.

Meanwhile, another armed Palestinian resistance group, the Al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigades, announced operations of its own, including the use of a vehicle-mounted explosive device that directly hit an Israeli tank and its crew.

The situation in Shejaiya reflects the complex and volatile environment facing IOF throughout the Gaza Strip.

The Palestinian factions have demonstrated resilience and tactical flexibility in their efforts to defend the area against Israeli air and ground attacks and to maintain the complex war of attrition against the occupying forces.