Hamas says it has captured several Israeli soldiers in Gaza
Jerusalem (EFE).- The Israeli military confirmed on Sunday that eight rockets were fired from Rafah, on the southern edge of the Gaza Strip, towards central Israel, including Tel Aviv, claimed by the Islamist group in its first attack against the territory in nearly four months.
“Following the siren, eight projectiles entering Israeli territory from the Rafah area were identified and several of them were intercepted,” a military statement said.
The attack caused almost no damage, most of it consisting of shrapnel falling on the towns.
According to police, a woman in Herzliya (about 13 kilometers from Tel Aviv) was slightly injured when a rocket collided with the roof of her home.
Israeli rescue paramedics had to treat two other women who were hit by falling shrapnel while heading to shelter during the attack, without specifying which city they were in.
Another rocket fell in a field in Kfar Saba, about 19 kilometers from the Israeli capital.
Hamas claims to have captured several Israeli soldiers
Abu Obeida, a spokesman for Hamas’ armed wing, the Al-Qassam Brigades, announced this morning that his militia had captured several Israeli soldiers in a tunnel in Jabalia, north of the Gaza Strip.
Obeida also indicated that they had seized some bodies of Israeli soldiers.
In a video broadcast on the Islamist group’s Telegram channels, a spokesman for the Al Qassam Brigades said Israeli troops were conducting a search operation for hostages in a tunnel in Jabalia, and “those who became hostages were the ones”.
Photos show how a wounded soldier is dragged through the tunnel, as well as weapons and military material allegedly seized from Israeli soldiers.
However, following Obeida’s message, the Israeli military indicated in a brief message published on its X account that “no kidnapping incident took place”.
Israeli forces are searching for hostages
“The enemy government and its repressive army continue their blind and irregular policy of revenge and destruction, with one failure after another, selling the massacres and military pressure against our people as victories,” Obeida indicated in his video message.
According to the armed group’s spokesman, “the occupying forces” are continuing their offensive in Rafah and Jabalia, “searching under the rubble for the remains of the hostages they deliberately killed earlier.”
The Israeli military on Friday recovered the bodies of three Hamas hostages in Jabalia, Israeli Hanan Yablonka, Brazilian-Israeli Michel Nissenbaum and Mexican-French Orion Hernandez.
In recent weeks, Israeli soldiers have found the bodies of four other hostages also in Jabalia, where they believe there are more captives who are probably dead.
Of the 253 people kidnapped on October 7, 121 remain hostages in the enclave, about 40 of them dead according to Israel – more than 70 according to Hamas.
In addition, it is known that there have been four other hostages over the years, two of whom have died.
Dozens of aid trucks enter from Egypt
Meanwhile, dozens of trucks carrying aid, including fuel, entered the Gaza Strip from Egypt through the Israeli-controlled Kerem Shalom crossing.
Various Egyptian sources have reported that trucks, each carrying around 20 tonnes of food, as well as four tankers, began entering the corridor from Egyptian territory towards Kerem Shalom at dawn, where they are inspected by Israel.
It is the first time Egypt has sent aid to Gaza since Israel captured the Palestinian part of the Rafah Crossing, south of the enclave and on the border with the Sinai Peninsula, twenty days ago.
Egyptian television network Al Qahera News, close to the North African country’s intelligence services, broadcast images of trucks queuing on Egyptian territory before heading to Kerem Shalom, as well as “four tankers with fuel entering the crossing.”
For its part, sources in the Egyptian Red Crescent confirmed to EFE that there are four tankers and 80 trucks with food, and did not rule out that the number of trucks sent to Kerem Shalom throughout the day could reach between 200 and 300.
“The trucks will be delivered to the UN from the Palestinian side,” a source at the Egyptian Crossing Administration told EFE on condition of anonymity.
Palestinian Prime Minister calls for Spain’s “decision” to be followed
Palestinian Prime Minister Mohammad Mustafa praised the “courageous decision taken by Spain” to recognize Palestine as a state in Brussels this Sunday and urged the rest of the countries that have not yet taken this step to do so as a sign “to put an end to the grave injustice that the Palestinian people have been subjected to for decades.”
Mustafa was “fully convinced” that “a large number of European countries” would recognize the State of Palestine “in the near future”, during a joint press conference with the Spanish Foreign Minister, José Manuel Albarez, at the headquarters of the Permanent Representation of Spain before the European Union (EU).
The Palestinian prime minister welcomed “with deep gratitude” the move by Spain, which was also supported by Ireland and Norway, and said it demonstrated Madrid’s “unwavering commitment” to a two-state solution to end the conflict between Palestine and Israel and give the Palestinian people the justice they have long sought.
According to Mustafa, Spain’s recognition, which will be formally approved next Tuesday, May 28, is “in line with international law and United Nations resolutions.”