Hamas announces killing of Israeli soldiers in Gaza City

GAZA, Aug. 23 (Xinhua) -- Hamas on Friday said its fighters killed and wounded some Israeli soldiers during clashes in the south of the Zeitoun neighborhood in Gaza City.

"Our fighters clashed intensely with the Israeli army forces that had advanced south of Zeitoun in Gaza City," causing casualties among the soldiers, Al-Qassam Brigades, the armed wing of Hamas, said in a press statement.

It noted that the Israeli casualties were evacuated by a military aircraft, without providing further details.

The Israeli army has not commented on the incident yet.

Meanwhile, the Israeli army reported that its 98th Division had killed dozens of militants over the past 24 hours and destroyed numerous infrastructures in Khan Younis in the southern Gaza Strip and the outskirts of Deir al-Balah in the central region.

The army's statement said its drone detected a militant posing threats to its forces, which led to an Israeli Air Force helicopter attacking to neutralize him.

In addition, the 162nd Division continued operations in the Tel al-Sultan area of Rafah, south of Gaza, killing dozens of militants in coordination with the Air Force over the past 24 hours.

According to the statement, the Israel Defense Forces operating in the central sector killed a militant carrying explosive materials and targeted a rocket-launching site.

The statement also noted that the Israeli Air Force had struck around 30 sites in the strip over the past 24 hours, including military sites, weapon storage facilities, and rocket-launching sites, in coordination with the Southern Command.

Israel has been waging a large-scale offensive against Hamas in Gaza to retaliate against a Hamas rampage through the southern Israeli border on Oct. 7, 2023, during which about 1,200 people were killed and more than 250 others were taken hostage.

The Palestinian death toll from ongoing Israeli attacks has risen to 40,265, the Gaza-based health authorities said in a statement on Thursday.