The Palestinian resistance group Hamas' armed wing, the Al-Qassam Brigades, announced Saturday that they killed five Israeli soldiers and injured others in eastern Rafah, southern Gaza Strip.
In a statement on Telegram, the group stated that its fighters "succeeded in luring a Zionist infantry unit and detonating an anti-personnel explosive device against them."
They added that their fighters "confirmed the killing of 5 soldiers from the unit and the injury of others in the vicinity of the Al-Tabe'en Mosque east of the city of Rafah in the southern Gaza Strip."
Earlier in the day, Abu Obaida, the spokesperson for the Al-Qassam Brigades, said on Telegram that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu "prefers his soldiers to be killed in the search for remains and bodies (of hostages) in Gaza rather than going for a hostage swap that does not serve his political and personal interests."
He added: "The enemy's leadership sends its soldiers into the alleys of Gaza only to return in coffins in order to search for the remains of some prisoners who were deliberately targeted and killed by the same leadership in the past."
The Israeli army on Friday claimed to have recovered the bodies of three Israelis from the Gaza Strip who were killed on Oct. 7.
At a news conference, the Israeli army spokesperson, Daniel Hagari, named the three Israelis as Itzhak Gelerenter, Amit Buskia, and Shani Louk.
He added that the bodies were recovered in cooperation between the Israeli army and the general security service (Shin Bet), but did not specify from where in Gaza they were recovered.
Israel continued its brutal offensive on the Gaza Strip despite a UN Security Council resolution demanding an immediate cease-fire in the enclave.
Nearly 35,400 Palestinians have been killed, mostly women and children, and over 79,300 others injured since last October following a Hamas attack.
More than seven months into the Israeli war, vast swathes of Gaza lay in ruins amid a crippling blockade of food, clean water, and medicine.
Israel is accused of "genocide" at the International Court of Justice, which has ordered Tel Aviv to ensure its forces do not commit acts of genocide and take measures to guarantee that humanitarian assistance is provided to civilians in Gaza.
