Hamas: Scores of Israeli soldiers killed in Rafah

Al-Qassam Brigades, the military wing of Hamas, announced Sunday that it clashed with Israeli soldiers, many of whom were killed or injured, in the city of Rafah, southern Gaza Strip.

Fighters "engaged" with an infantry Zionist force of 10 soldiers from point-blank range in the Al-Janina neighborhood, the military wing said in a statement.

In separate statement, it said fighters "targeted a military vehicle with a Yassin 105 missile north of Awad Tower in Rafah."

Israel began a military operation in Rafah on May 6, 2024, taking control of the Rafah Crossing despite international warnings about the catastrophic humanitarian consequences of such actions.

The military operation in Rafah has led to the displacement of hundreds of thousands of Palestinians from the city, which had a population of about 1.5 million, including approximately 1.4 million displaced people.

Overall, Israel has killed more than 44,200 people, most of them women and children, in Gaza since the Oct. 7, 2023 Hamas attacks.