Fierce Clashes in Gaza: Palestinian Fighters Inflict Casualties on Israeli Forces Gaza City, Palestine – Intense fighting erupted between Palestinian fighters and Israeli forces in the densely populated Shujayea neighborhood of northern Gaza City. Al-Quds Brigades, the armed wing of Palestinian Islamic Jihad, claimed responsibility for detonating an improvised explosive device inside a booby-trapped residential building, resulting in the deaths of four Israeli soldiers and injuries to five others. The Qassam Brigades, the armed wing of Hamas, reported ongoing “violent clashes” and claimed to have inflicted “deaths and injuries” on Israeli forces through anti-tank rocket and small arms attacks. Mass Displacement and Civilian Casualties A day before the clashes, Israeli forces launched an assault on northern Gaza, forcing tens of thousands of terrified civilians to flee their homes. The intense air and artillery strikes, coupled with the deployment of armored vehicles, have displaced at least 60,000 people from Gaza City. Palestinian health officials reported that Israeli tank shelling in Rafah on Friday killed at least 11 people. Displaced families described chaotic scenes as the fighting approached, with some residents reporting bulldozers piling up sand to provide cover for Israeli tanks. Ongoing Battles and Israeli Casualties Ground operations backed by airstrikes continued in northern Gaza, with the Israeli military claiming to have killed “dozens” of fighters. Despite Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s earlier comments suggesting an end to the “intense phase” of the war, clashes remained fierce. The Israeli military reported that one soldier was killed and nine wounded in clashes in Gaza over the past 24 hours, bringing the total number of Israeli soldiers killed since the conflict began in October 2023 to 668. Humanitarian Crisis Deepens The ongoing fighting and military operations have exacerbated the humanitarian crisis in Gaza. The UN’s Stephane Dujarric reported that nearly 500,000 people are experiencing “catastrophic” hunger. Much of Gaza’s infrastructure has been destroyed, leaving residents struggling to survive.