Al-Qassam Brigades, the military wing of Hamas, claimed on Saturday that it killed five Israeli soldiers in a “stabbing and engagement operation” in the Jabalia refugee camp, northern Gaza.
In a statement, the military wing said that during a combined operation in Jabalia, its fighters “eliminated three Israeli soldiers by stabbing them with knives, seized their personal weapons” and then “stormed a house where an infantry unit was fortified and killed two soldiers at its entrance.”
It added that its fighters “engaged with others at point-blank range in the middle of Jabalia camp.”
Israel launched a large-scale ground operation in northern Gaza on Oct. 5 to allegedly prevent the Palestinian group Hamas from regrouping. Palestinians, however, accuse Israel of seeking to occupy the area and forcibly displace its residents.
Since then, no sufficient humanitarian aid including food, medicine and fuel has been allowed into the area, leaving the remaining population on the verge of imminent famine.
Overall, Israel has killed more than 45,000 people in Gaza since the Oct. 7, 2023 Hamas border incursion.
Last month, the International Criminal Court issued arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant for war crimes and crimes against humanity in Gaza.
Israel also faces a genocide case at the International Court of Justice for its war on Gaza.