The al-Qassam Brigades, the armed wing of Hamas, has shot down an Israeli drone in the Gaza Strip, a day after the regime carried out a fresh wave of air raids against the besieged coastal enclave.
Palestinian media reported, according to Press TV/Al Ray, that Hamas fighters intercepted and downed the quadcopter drone east of Rafah, in the southern Gaza Strip, on Monday night.
The Israeli military has confirmed that a drone fell in southern Gaza, stating that an investigation into the incident is underway.
The aircraft’s remains are now in the hands of al-Qassam, according to a statement by the group.
This is the second unmanned aerial vehicle that the Israeli army has lost in the past 24 hours.
The downing of the drone in the Rafah area comes amid a series of exchanges between Israel and Gaza.
Palestinian news agencies said, late Saturday, that Israeli airstrikes had targeted positions allegedly held by Hamas, inside the enclave. Health officials said there were no casualties from the attacks, which lasted for close to an hour.
Israeli sources said that the attacks had hit Hamas naval facilities along the Mediterranean, in addition to two military compounds run by the group in central Gaza. There was no confirmation from Hamas and its affiliated groups.
The relentless bombardment came after Hamas launched a drone operation targeting Israeli military equipment stationed along its border with the occupied Palestinian territories, following a wave of Israeli aerial assaults.
Hamas’ raids have come in response to the Israeli army’s killing of Palestinian protesters marching along the border fence.
Gaza has been under Israeli siege since June of 2007, and has caused a severe decline in living standards, prompting a UN prediction that the region would be uninhabitable by the year 2020.
Israel has also launched three major wars against the enclave since 2008, killing thousands of Gazans, each time, and shattering the impoverished territory’s already impoverished infrastructure.
On its part, the Lebanon-based Hezbollah Party said its fighters had shot down an Israeli military drone outside the southern town of Ramyah, early Monday, amid heightened tensions between the group and the Israeli military.
(edited for the IMEMC by c h r i s @ i m e m c . o r g)
