In the ongoing conflict in Gaza, the military wing of Hamas, known as the Izz ad-Din al-Qassam Brigades, has announced that they have successfully shot down an Israeli helicopter. The announcement was made on the Hamas’ official Telegram channel, as reported by the RIA Novosti news agency.
According to Hamas, they fired a Sam7 missile towards an enemy helicopter to the east of the Al-Bureij refugee camp, with their fighters claiming a direct hit. It is worth noting that the helicopter was flying over the Gaza Strip.
This incident comes after the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) had previously carried out an incursion into the Gaza Strip, utilizing tanks.
On October 7th, the Hamas forces launched thousands of rockets into Israeli territory, declaring the start of their operation named “Flood of Al-Aqsa”. Thousands of militants infiltrated Israeli territory, seizing dozens of military vehicles and over a hundred hostages. In response, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced that the country was in a state of war.
The IDF’s retaliatory operation, named “Iron Swords”, aims to destroy Hamas. The Israeli Air Force has conducted airstrikes on hundreds of Hamas targets in the Gaza Strip, while the Israeli National Security Council has decided to halt the supply of water, food, goods, electricity, and fuel to the region. On October 13th, Israel notified the United Nations that 1.1 million Palestinians must be evacuated to the southern part of Gaza within 24 hours, in anticipation of a ground operation in the area.
Previously, Prime Minister Netanyahu had vowed to destroy Hamas.
