PNN – The Israeli army radio reported that the purpose of clash in Rafah was the assassination of a senior official in the Rafah Brigade of Ezzedine al-Qassam.
According to the report of Pakistan News Network, the Israeli army radio on Tuesday evening (December 3) announced a targeted assassination operation against a senior official in the Rafah Brigade of the Ezzedine al-Qassam branch (the Qassam Brigades, the military wing of the Hamas movement). This operation, carried out in an area under the control of the occupying forces in eastern Rafah, southern Gaza Strip, is part of Tel Aviv’s ongoing efforts to target Palestinian resistance leaders amid the fragile ceasefire.
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According to the Israeli army radio, special Israeli forces, with air support, entered an underground tunnel and targeted three Hamas fighters who had emerged from the tunnel entrance. During this close combat, two Qassam fighters were martyred in hand-to-hand combat, while the third returned to the tunnel with a time bomb planted on a Namir armored vehicle. Israeli sources claimed that the main target of this operation was a senior field commander in the Rafah Brigade, listed on Mossad and Shin Bet’s priority assassination lists, although his exact identity was not disclosed.
This incident, described by Israeli sources as a “clear violation of the ceasefire by Hamas,” occurred only hours after initial reports of a rocket attack by Qassam fighters on the occupying forces in the same area. Hebrew-language media such as Israel’s Channels 14 and 12 reported that about 20 Hamas fighters remain trapped in the tunnels under Rafah and refuse to surrender. Following this clash, at least four Israeli soldiers were seriously injured.
On the other hand, Palestinian and Hamas sources have described this operation as a “desperate attempt to revive the morale of the occupying forces” and emphasized that Qassam fighters will continue to fight courageously.
This event occurs while, since the temporary ceasefire on January 19, 2025, Israel has been accused of violating the ceasefire agreement dozens of times. According to UN reports and Palestinian media, these actions have resulted in the death of more than 360 Palestinian civilians and injuries to 922 others. Al Jazeera has reported that since October 10, 2025, Israeli attacks in Rafah, citing ceasefire violations, have killed at least 109 Palestinians, including 52 children.
Palestine experts warn that these ongoing assassinations could completely break the fragile ceasefire and escalate the cycle of violence in Gaza. In an official statement, Hamas declared: “Surrender and retreat have no place in the Qassam dictionary” and promised that any aggression by the occupiers will be met with a decisive response.