Hamas says destroys 136 Israeli military vehicles in Gaza

GAZA, Nov. 8 (Xinhua) -- The Al-Qassam Brigades, the armed wing of Hamas, announced on Wednesday that it had attacked at least 136 Israeli military vehicles, forcing them out of service.

In a televised statement, Abu Obaida, spokesperson for Al-Qassam, said that "our fighters are confronting the Israeli forces penetrating the northern Gaza Strip and Gaza City on all fronts."

"Our sniper rifles continue to target Israeli soldiers and artillery to destroy their fortifications," Obaida added, reiterating that "the only path is a deal on exchanging prisoners fully or partially."

The spokesperson accused Israel of being "the one who hinders efforts to release detainees and foreigners and puts their lives in danger."

In a recent interview with ABC News, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu did not rule out "tactical little pauses" in the fighting to allow aid to reach Gaza or facilitate the release of some of the around 240 hostages kidnapped by Hamas during its Oct. 7 attacks on Israel.

However, Netanyahu rejected any general cease-fire unless all hostages were freed.

Israel struck Gaza in retaliation for a cross-border Hamas attack on southern Israel on Oct. 7. The bloody conflict, raging for over a month, has led to the deaths of at least 10,569 Palestinians in Gaza and killed 1,400 people in Israel, the vast majority in the Oct. 7 Hamas attack.