On Friday, the Al-Qassam Brigades, the military wing of Hamas, announced it had carried out what it said was “targeted operations in Gaza's combat zones and well-planned ambushes against Israeli forces.”

The brigades reported that their members detonated an "RPG-type" anti-personnel explosive against an infantry unit of the “Israeli” army, resulting in casualties in the Tel al-Hawa neighborhood south of Gaza City.

Al-Qassam Brigades also claimed the destruction of two “Israeli” Merkava 4 tanks, which were surrounded by soldiers and hit with "Shawaz" explosives in Tel al-Hawa. Additionally, they targeted another Merkava tank with a "Yassin 105" missile in the same area.

Earlier, the brigades announced the sniping of an “Israeli” soldier stationed on top of a military vehicle that had advanced into Tel al-Hawa.