RPG event in Gaza, Tel al-Hawa area, Palestine on Tue 9th July 2024

TEHRAN- Despite the intense Israeli shelling targeting the Tel al-Hawa neighborhood southwest of Gaza City since Monday afternoon, the Palestinian resistance continues to target the regime’s military trying to advance towards the neighborhood under artillery cover.

The armed wing of Hamas, the al-Qassam Brigades, announced that its fighters managed to detonate an anti-personnel explosive device against an Israeli foot patrol unit consisting of six troops southwest of Tel al-Hawa, killing one soldier and injuring another.

To the west of Tel al-Hawa, an Israeli military vehicle was targeted with an explosive device. Another military jeep was also attacked with a Yasin 105 shell.

Using another explosive device, al-Qassam fighters targeted an Israeli military vehicle at the 17th roundabout west of Tel al-Hawa, as well as an Israeli D9 bulldozer on Rasheed Street. Furthermore, the armed wing of Hamas targeted an Israeli Merkava 4 tank with a pre-planted ground explosive device as the Israeli occupation forces (IOF) near Tel al-Hawa.

The armed wing of Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ), the al-Quds Brigades, announced the detonation of two IOF military vehicles with pre-planted ground explosives on the outskirts of Tel al-Hawa. The al-Quds Brigades also targeted the IOF with mortar shells as the Israeli army struggles to advance in the neighborhood.

The al-Mujahideen Brigades, the military wing of the Palestinian Mujahideen Movement, reported that its fighters were also confronting the IOF in Tel al-Hawa. Israeli media reported four “difficult” security incidents faced by the regime’s army in the neighborhood.

Elsewhere, using 114mm Grad rockets, the al-Qassam Brigades targeted the IOF stationed in Netzarim.

Also, in Netzarim, the al-Quds Brigades targeted an Israeli occupation command center with mortar shells.

The Al-Qassam Brigades published footage on social media outlets of their fighters targeting Israeli troops’ positions with rockets. Israeli media sources reported the landings of Israeli military helicopters at the Netzarim, believed to be for evacuating casualties. Israeli media also stated that three soldiers wounded in Gaza were evacuated.

Meanwhile, reporters on the ground have said the IOF withdrew from al-Daraj and Shujaiya neighborhoods near Gaza City, while resistance continues to target its forces with shells and rockets. Regional media outlets have reported that the IOF started withdrawing from some combat zones in Shujaiya, east of Gaza City. Reports suggest that the IOF also began withdrawing from al-Daraj neighborhood in Gaza City unexpectedly on Monday night.

The al-Quds Brigades’ war media released footage documenting their strikes on the Israeli operations command center in Shujaiya, which the IOF recently invaded again. The neighborhood has been one of the many flashpoints in the totally blockaded Gaza Strip that the IOF has regularly invaded and declared victory over Hamas since October 7.

This week, Abu Ubaida, the spokesperson for the al-Qassam Brigades, stated in a recorded speech that the Palestinian resistance is still fighting fiercely and confronting the occupation forces, despite nine months of the Israeli genocidal war on Gaza. He emphasized that the 24 brigades of al-Qassam fought from Beit Hanoun in the north to the far south in Rafah, offering martyrs among soldiers and leaders from all levels.

He also revealed that Hamas “managed to recruit thousands of new fighters during the war,” pointing out that the combat capabilities are intact and the defense lines have been strengthened.