Al-Qassam Brigades Seize Israeli Drone

A Palestinian fighter from the Izz ad-Din al-Qassam Brigades, the armed wing of Hamas movement, gestures inside an underground tunnel in Gaza in this August 18, 2014 file photo. REUTERS/Mohammed Salem/Files
A Palestinian fighter from the Izz ad-Din al-Qassam Brigades, the armed wing of Hamas movement, gestures inside an underground tunnel in Gaza in this August 18, 2014 file photo. REUTERS/Mohammed Salem/Files
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Al-Qassam Brigades Seize Israeli Drone

A Palestinian fighter from the Izz ad-Din al-Qassam Brigades, the armed wing of Hamas movement, gestures inside an underground tunnel in Gaza in this August 18, 2014 file photo. REUTERS/Mohammed Salem/Files
A Palestinian fighter from the Izz ad-Din al-Qassam Brigades, the armed wing of Hamas movement, gestures inside an underground tunnel in Gaza in this August 18, 2014 file photo. REUTERS/Mohammed Salem/Files

Izz ad-Din al-Qassam Brigades, the military wing of Hamas, claimed Tuesday that they shot down an Israeli drone on a special mission east of Rafah in the southern Gaza Strip.

“It was on a special mission inside Gaza, holding thermographic and daylight cameras to carry out its mission but we identified its targets and foiled its mission,” the Brigades revealed in a statement.

No further details were provided on the drone or its mission.

This followed a statement by the Israeli army that a drone fell in Gaza Tuesday morning.

Israeli army spokesperson Avichay Adraee said: “Last night, a small drone crashed in the southern Gaza Strip.”

“The incident is being investigated," Adraee added.

Earlier, Palestinian media reported that Hamas seized a Quadcopter drone after the movement’s members along the border with Israel fired at it.

Lebanon’s Hezbollah announced Monday downing an Israeli drone as it crossed the border towards the southern village of Ramyeh. The Israeli army later confirmed it.



Israeli Strikes Kill 14 People in Gaza, Mediators Strive for a Truce Deal

 Palestinians search for casualties at the site of an Israeli strike on a house, amid the ongoing conflict between Israel and Hamas, in Gaza City, January 5, 2025. (Reuters)
Palestinians search for casualties at the site of an Israeli strike on a house, amid the ongoing conflict between Israel and Hamas, in Gaza City, January 5, 2025. (Reuters)
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Israeli Strikes Kill 14 People in Gaza, Mediators Strive for a Truce Deal

 Palestinians search for casualties at the site of an Israeli strike on a house, amid the ongoing conflict between Israel and Hamas, in Gaza City, January 5, 2025. (Reuters)
Palestinians search for casualties at the site of an Israeli strike on a house, amid the ongoing conflict between Israel and Hamas, in Gaza City, January 5, 2025. (Reuters)

Israeli airstrikes killed at least 14 Palestinians in three separate attacks in the Gaza Strip on Sunday, taking the weekend death toll to 102, Palestinian medics said, as US and Arab mediators stepped up efforts to conclude a ceasefire deal.

Health officials said an Israeli airstrike killed five people in a house in the Nuseirat camp in central Gaza, while another airstrike killed four others in Jabalia in the northern edge of the enclave, where Israeli forces have been operating for three months.

Later on Sunday, an Israeli airstrike hit a police station in Khan Younis in southern Gaza, killing five people, medics said. It wasn't immediately clear if all the dead were policemen.

The Israeli military did not immediately comment on Sunday's strikes.

Earlier on Sunday, the health ministry of Hamas-run Gaza said Israeli strikes across the territory had killed at least 88 Palestinians and wounded more than 200 others in the past 24 hours.

In Gaza City's Sheikh Radwan neighborhood, relatives and neighbors rushed to the Zuhd family's house, which was struck by an Israeli airstrike late on Saturday, killing seven people, medics said. The search continued on Sunday morning for four others believed to be trapped under the rubble.

A hand belonging to one of the dead could be seen amongst the ruins, with the rest of his body buried under collapsed masonry. Three men removed dirt with their bare hands to retrieve bodies and search for possible survivors.

"Three young men, the son’s wife, and three children are still here. We retrieved this cousin of mine. Another cousin has been martyred and is now in the hospital. Approximately 11 people have been martyred here," Ammar Zuhd, a relative, told Reuters.

ISRAEL SAYS DOZENS OF HAMAS MILITANTS KILLED

The Israeli military said in a statement on Sunday that its forces had attacked more than 100 targets across Gaza over the weekend, killing dozens of Hamas fighters. It said it had also destroyed rocket launching sites that had been used to wage rocket attacks on Israel in recent days.

A renewed push is underway to reach a ceasefire in the war between Israel and Hamas, and return Israeli hostages who were taken to Gaza, before US President-elect Donald Trump takes office on Jan. 20.

Israeli negotiators were dispatched on Friday to resume talks in Doha brokered by Qatari and Egyptian mediators, while US President Joe Biden's administration, which is helping to mediate, urged Hamas to agree to a deal.

Hamas said it was committed to reaching an agreement as soon as possible, but it was unclear how close the two sides were.

Israel launched its assault on Gaza in response to an Oct. 7, 2023 attack by Hamas fighters on communities in southern Israel, killing about 1,200 people and taking about 250 hostages, according to Israeli tallies.

Israel's military campaign, with the stated goal of eradicating Hamas, has leveled swathes of the enclave, driving most people from their homes, and has killed 45,805 Palestinians, according to the Gaza health ministry.