Several Hamas terrorists have been killed in a tunnel raid in Gaza, the Israel Defense Force (IDF) has claimed.
The IDF has said that infantry and tank forces engaged in combat with Hamas militants who were coming out of their complex tunnel network to ambush Israeli troops.
Israeli forces took out several Hamas gunmen and the tunnels they used will be destroyed, the IDF added.
One reported encounter involved IDF forces fighting 15 Hamas militants, killing them, and shelling their observation posts.
The IDF has not yet provided any detail on whether its forces suffered any casualties during this fight.
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The IDF said a “number of Hamas terrorist operatives were killed in the strike”.
The Gaza Health Ministry claimed that 15 people were killed and 60 were wounded in the strike.
The Hamas-led health ministry said: “We had notified the Red Cross, the Arab Republic of Egypt, and the entire world through communication channels and the media of the movement of ambulances carrying the injured transferred to Egypt, but the occupation committed its crime in all brazenness.”
The IDF also released a statement: “An IDF aircraft struck an ambulance that was identified by forces as being used by a Hamas terrorist cell in close proximity to their position in the battle zone.
“A number of Hamas terrorist operatives were killed in the strike. We intend to release additional information… We have information which demonstrates that Hamas’s method of operation is to transfer terror operatives and weapons in ambulances.
“We emphasise that this area is a battle zone. Civilians in the area are repeatedly called upon to evacuate southwards for their own safety.”
