The Israeli army reveals some details of the ambush in the Zeitoun neighborhood east of Gaza

Israeli Army Radio reported on Saturday that seven soldiers were injured on Friday evening when an explosive device exploded targeting a Namer armored personnel carrier they were transporting on the outskirts of Gaza City.

The radio station reported in a brief news item that one soldier sustained moderate injuries, while the rest sustained minor injuries.

The incident occurred in the Zeitoun neighborhood, southeast of Gaza City, and that the injured soldiers were transferred to the hospital for treatment, and their families were notified.

This comes as the Israeli army has intensified its raids on Gaza City neighborhoods since dawn on Friday, coinciding with its declaration of the city as a dangerous combat zone.

On Friday evening, the Israeli channel i24 News reported that “fierce clashes broke out on the outskirts of Gaza City, including airstrikes and heavy artillery shelling, amid reports of Israeli forces advancing in the area”.

The Israeli channel however, didn’t provide further details, but this comes as Israeli media activists on social media are circulating reports of a series of difficult security incidents within the Gaza Strip, resulting in the deaths of soldiers, most notably an ambush in the Zeitoun neighborhood.

Reports indicated growing fears among Israel’s political leadership that four soldiers could be captured by Palestinian factions.

Meanwhile, Israeli military information indicates that the search is continuing for four soldiers who are still missing in the Zeitoun neighborhood.

The Israeli army is believed to have activated the controversial “Hannibal Directive” amid televised footage showing intense helicopter flights, flares being dropped in the Gaza skies, and the sounds of clashes.

The Hannibal Directive permits the use of heavy weapons when capturing an Israeli, to prevent the captors from leaving the scene, even if doing so poses a danger to the captive.

The Qassam Brigades, the military wing of Hamas, published a photo early Saturday morning showing part of one of its members dragging a man wearing an Israeli army uniform, with a tank behind them.

The photo was captioned in Hebrew and Arabic, “We remember those who forget: death or capture”.

These developments came after Qassam Brigades spokesman Abu Obeida threatened that Israel would pay the price for its plan to occupy Gaza City “in the blood of its soldiers”.

Abu Obeida said in a statement via Telegram, “The enemy’s criminal plans to occupy Gaza will be a disaster for its political and military leadership, and its army will pay the price with the blood of its soldiers, and it will increase the chances of capturing new soldiers”.

He added, “The Israeli prisoners will remain with our fighters in the areas of combat and confrontation, living under the same risky and difficult living conditions”.

Abu Obeida confirmed that any prisoner killed by aggression will be announced with his name, photo, and proof of his death.

On more than one occasion, the Qassam Brigades claimed that Israel had killed a number of its prisoners by bombing their locations, while no total statistics were issued regarding their number.