Rafah: Hamas said on Thursday that its fighters were engaged in ‘fierce clashes’ with Israeli soldiers in the southern Gaza Strip, near Rafah. The statement, posted on the Telegram messaging app, indicates that Hamas remains active in areas where the Israeli army has expanded its control, more than 19 months after the start of the Israeli air and ground campaign on Gaza.

According to National Iraqi News Agency, Hamas later said in a statement that its fighters ambushed an Israeli force of 12 soldiers inside a house in the al-Tannour neighborhood, east of Rafah, and targeted them with two anti-personnel and anti-tank missiles, killing and wounding a number of soldiers.

The Movement has reported rare clashes around Rafah in recent months, with most of the reported clashes occurring in the eastern part of the nearby city of Khan Yunis and the northern parts of the Strip. Earlier this month, Israel said it would expand its offensive on the Palestinian enclave. Israel resumed its offensive in March after the collapse of a fragile US-backed ceasefire that halted the fighting for six weeks.