GAZA/JERUSALEM, July 9 (Xinhua) -- Al-Qassam Brigades, the armed wing of Hamas, said on Wednesday that it killed an Israeli soldier during clashes in Khan Younis, southern Gaza Strip.
The incident occurred in the Abasan al-Kabira area, east of Khan Younis, as Hamas fighters attacked a gathering of Israeli soldiers and vehicles, targeting a tank and an armored personnel carrier with missiles, the brigades said in a press statement.
The brigades added that its members targeted two military excavators, and engaged with Israeli soldiers, noting that the field conditions did not permit them to capture one of the soldiers, so they killed him and took his weapon.
Meanwhile, the Israeli military confirmed in a statement that Palestinian militants in Gaza killed a soldier during an attempted "abduction."
An initial investigation indicated that during an assault in Khan Younis, militants emerged from an underground tunnel and attacked Israeli troops, said the statement.
Security forces in the area opened fire at the militants, hitting several of them and thwarting the abduction attempt, the military added.
This was the 889th Israeli soldier killed since October 2023, when Israel launched its assault on Gaza following a Hamas-led surprise attack that killed about 1,200 people and saw 250 taken hostage.
In Gaza, local authorities said that at least 57,680 people have been killed since the start of the war. ■