The Palestinian Resistance killed eight Israeli occupation soldiers who were reportedly asleep in an Armored Personnel Carrier (APC) in the southern Gaza Strip, Israeli media outlets reported on Saturday.
The news has emerged as Israeli occupation forces are launching an invasion into the western neighborhood of al-Sultan in Rafah.
According to Israeli media reports, the eight Israeli troops were burnt to death in the attack, which targeted a Namer-type APC in Rafah. So far, it has been revealed that an unspecified anti-tank shell was fired at the APC, which led to an explosion and a fire in the vehicle, killing eight soldiers sleeping inside it.
It is believed that the APC was idle and being used by Israeli combat engineering troops as a resting spot at Saturday dawn.
The corpses of the soldiers were completely burnt, and the APC was destroyed. Among those killed is a combat officer in the Israeli occupation forces, Israeli media outlets reported later on Saturday.
It is worth noting that the Namer APC is one of the most advanced and heavily armored vehicles when compared to same-class vehicles internationally.
It is based on the chassis of the Merkava 4 main battle tank, replacing far-inferior American M113 vehicles that were involved in several IOF catastrophes due to their weak armor.
Nonetheless, the Palestinian Resistance marks yet another military achievement as it defends the Gaza Strip from the Israeli onslaught.
An expert in military and political affairs, Ahmad Abdul-Rahman, told Al Mayadeenthat the operation casts a shadow over "the occupation's operations in Rafah and the entire Gaza Strip."
Abdul-Rahman explained that the Israeli military will now extensively contemplate any advances into the strategic al-Sultan neighborhood.
The Israeli occupation's military command is yet to admit to the deaths of the eight soldiers, however, it has admitted to 650 killed officers and soldiers killed across all fronts since October 7, 2023.
On the other hand, the Palestinian Resistance continues to resist occupation forces across the Gaza Strip, as factions announced successful operations on Saturday.
Amid the advance into western Rafah, Al Mayadeen's correspondent in the Gaza Strip reported that intense confrontations have been ongoing since Friday night in the area.
Hamas' al-Qassam Brigades has so far announced two operations, including a rocket attack on the Kissufim military site.
The Brigades also fired a locally-produced al-Yassin tandem rocket-propelled grenade (RPG) at an Israeli military-grade D9 bulldozer in al-Sultan.