The Ezzeddin al-Qassam Brigades, the military arm of Hamas, said early Wednesday that its fighters have managed to hit an Israeli F-16 warplane over the Gaza Strip, Anadolu Agency reported.
"Our air defense unit managed at 19:40 local time [16:40 GMT] to target and hit an [Israeli] F-16 with a surface-to-air missile over Deir al-Balah city in central Gaza, as the plane was preparing to strike a target," the brigades said in a brief statement.
The statement gave no further details, and the Israeli army is yet to comment.
Since July 7, Israel has pounded the Gaza Strip with fierce aerial bombardments with the ostensible aim of halting rocket fire.
At least 635 Palestinians have been killed - mostly civilians - and more than 4000 others injured in Israel's ongoing offensive, now in its third week.
According to official Israeli figures, 28 Israeli soldiers and two civilians have been killed.
/129
