Over Dozen Israeli Soldiers Killed or Wounded in Al-Qassam Rocket Strike
TEHRAN (Tasnim) – The armed wing of the Palestinian resistance movement Hamas announced Sunday that it launched a series of rockets targeting an Israeli military position along Gaza’s southern border with the occupied territories, resulting in the death and injury of over a dozen Israeli soldiers.
In a statement, the al-Qassam Brigades disclosed that they conducted the attack using the 114 mm short-range Rajoom rocket system, specifically targeting Israeli forces at the Kerem Shalom (Karem Abu Salem) crossing and its vicinity. Israeli media sources confirmed that three Israeli soldiers were killed in the assault, with an additional fifteen wounded, some critically.
The Israeli military confirmed the casualties, acknowledging the loss of three officers and the injury of more than a dozen soldiers in the Karem Abu Salem operation near Rafah in southern Gaza. The military reported that 14 rockets were launched, taking just 8 seconds to strike their designated targets where Israeli soldiers were reportedly preparing for an incursion into Rafah. Israeli military spokespersons claimed that the launchers responsible for the attack were subsequently destroyed by Israeli warplanes.
Despite the Israeli regime’s efforts to minimize its military losses, the attack caught them off guard, resulting in significant casualties among their forces. Notably, there were no attempts to intercept the incoming rockets. Osama Hamdan, a senior Hamas official and the group’s representative in Lebanon, characterized the Karem Abu Salem operation as a message to the Israeli occupation, emphasizing that the consequences of any aggression by Israeli forces will not unfold as anticipated.
