The spokesman for the Izz ad-Din al-Qassam Brigades, the military wing of Hamas, Abu Obaida, announced on Saturday that the group's fighters captured Israeli soldiers during clashes in Gaza. He stated that the fighters executed a "complex operation" in the Jabalia refugee camp in northern Gaza Strip, resulting in Israeli forces suffering fatalities, injuries, and captivity. In a video statement, he mentioned that Al-Qassam fighters "lured" an Israeli unit into a tunnel in the camp, leading them into an ambush inside and at the entrance of the tunnel. He indicated that Al-Qassam fighters engaged with members of this unit and then attacked the support forces that rushed to the scene, hitting them directly, claiming that they caused all members of this unit to be either killed, injured, or captured.
However, the Israeli army denied any of its soldiers had been abducted. Spokesman Avichai Adraee stated on Telegram that the army clarifies that "there is no incident of a soldier being abducted." It is worth noting that Hamas's military wing had previously announced the death of more than 70 captives in Israeli airstrikes on various sites in Gaza, accusing Israel of deliberately killing the captives to eliminate the issue.
