GAZA CITY, Palestine

The Israeli army, which penetrated the Shejaiya neighborhood in eastern Gaza City, left behind a destroyed military vehicle after battles with Palestinian factions.

A video recorded by a Palestinian activist of the remains of a burnt out Israeli armored personnel carrier on Baghdad Street in the Shejaiya neighborhood went viral on social media on Tuesday.

Residents of the neighborhood said the armored vehicle was destroyed a few days ago after being targeted by Palestinians with an anti-tank missile.

Since June 28, Shejaiya has been witnessing a ground military operation.

The Israeli army announced that it had begun a ground operation in the neighborhood, the third of its kind since the offensive began on Oct. 7.

In recent hours, some Palestinians managed to enter the outskirts of the neighborhood, from where the Israeli military vehicles had retreated, and retrieved several victims from the streets and destroyed homes, eyewitnesses told Anadolu.

According to witnesses, Shejaiya neighborhood has witnessed fierce battles between Palestinian resistance factions and the Israeli army in recent days.

Flouting a UN Security Council resolution demanding an immediate cease-fire, Israel has faced international condemnation amid its continued brutal offensive on Gaza since an Oct. 7, 2023 attack by Palestinian group Hamas.

Nearly 38,200 Palestinians have since been killed, mostly women and children, and nearly 88,000 others injured, according to local health authorities.

Nine months into the Israeli war, vast tracts of Gaza lie in ruins amid a crippling blockade of food, clean water, and medicine.

Israel stands accused of genocide at the International Court of Justice, whose latest ruling ordered it to immediately halt its military operation in the southern city of Rafah, where over a million Palestinians had sought refuge from the war before it was invaded on May 6.

*Writing by Rania Abu Shamala​​​​​​​​​​​​​​