According to TASS, Abu Hamza, a representative of the Quds Brigades, the armed wing of the Islamic Jihad group, which is banned in Russia, asserted that Israeli soldiers had been captured in the operation carried out near the Gaza Strip. Hamza stated that the Quds Brigades hold a large number of Israeli captives, a claim attributed to the group in this report. The announcement adds to prior reports of activity near the Gaza border, where Palestinians were said to have breached some barriers along the Israeli border using heavy equipment, including bulldozers, with Hamas also reporting the seizure of tanks and other Israeli military assets. This sequence of events is being tracked amid ongoing conflict dynamics and competing narratives from different sides involved.
Earlier statements referenced by various outlets described ongoing or anticipated shifts in tactical control along this border region, including claims about the capture and status of Israeli forces in the vicinity.
On October 7, Hamas forces fired more than five thousand rockets into Israel, an intensification that prompted a strong security response. In the wake of these attacks, Itamar Ben Gvir, Israel’s national security minister, declared a state of emergency in the country. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu subsequently described the situation as a state of war. The Israeli Defense Forces launched an operation against Hamas named Iron Swords, aiming to degrade militant infrastructure and capability.
Leading voices from Islamic Jihad reiterated that the focus of their messaging concerns the capture of Israeli soldiers, adding to the chorus of statements about hostages and detainees in the ongoing hostilities. These narratives reflect the highly charged information environment surrounding the conflict and the competing claims that have emerged from different factions and state actors involved in the region, as reported by TASS and other news agencies.