Three Israeli soldiers were killed last night in the northern Gaza Strip in an explosion at a weapons and ammunition depot of the radical Palestinian group "Hamas", DPA reported, quoted by BTA.
The men, aged between 21 and 22, were killed on the spot by the powerful blast in Beit Hanoun, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) announced.
Investigators are determining whether the detonation was carried out remotely by "Hamas" fighters.
The number of Israeli soldiers killed in military operations against "Hamas" in Gaza and against the Lebanese Shiite group "Hezbollah", is now 821, according to Israeli army statistics cited by DPA.
Meanwhile, the Israeli Defense Forces announced that they had eliminated a senior commander in the military structure of "Hamas" on Saturday. Tarewat al-Beik headed the Islamist group's internal security service, which was also responsible for the personal security of the movement's top leadership.
He was eliminated along with another important representative of "Hamas" when a rocket hit his car in the city of Jabalia, in northern Gaza, DPA said.
Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz admitted publicly for the first time last night that Israel had eliminated the leader of the radical Palestinian group "Hamas" Ismail Haniyeh on July 31 this year in Iran, Reuters and the Associated Press reported, quoted by BTA.
Thus, the minister risks further increasing tensions between Israel and Iran in the region, which has been shaken for more than a year by Israeli military actions against "Hamas" in the Gaza Strip, as well as by operations against the Lebanese Shiite movement "Hezbollah" in Lebanon, Reuters notes.
"In these days when the Houthi terrorist organization is firing missiles at Israel, I want to send a clear message to them at the beginning of my statement: we defeated "Hamas", we defeated "Hezbollah", we destroyed Iran's air defenses and damaged production networks, we toppled the Assad regime in Syria, we dealt a heavy blow to the Axis of Evil and we will deal a heavy blow to the Houthi terrorist organization in Yemen, which is the only one left to hold on," Katz said, quoted by Reuters.
On Saturday, a missile fired from Yemen was not intercepted by Israeli air defenses and wounded at least 14 people in the Tel Aviv area.
"We will hit strategic infrastructure (of the Houthi) and "We will cut off the heads of their leadership. Just as we did with Haniyeh, Sinwar and Nasrallah in Tehran, Gaza and Lebanon, we will do it in Hodeidah and Sanaa," the Israeli defense minister added, quoted by the AP, referring to Haniyeh's successor at the head of the radical Palestinian group "Hamas" - Yahya Sinwar, and the leader of the Lebanese Shiite movement "Hezbollah" - Hassan Nasrallah.
The Israeli army reported today a rocket fired at Israel from Yemen, Reuters reported, quoted by BTA.
For this reason, air raid sirens were activated in several areas in Central Israel, the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) said.
Yemeni Houthi rebels have been periodically shelling Israel for nearly a year in solidarity with the radical Palestinian group "Hamas", which is fighting the Israeli army in the Gaza Strip, Israel recalls.
The Houthis also show solidarity with the Lebanese Shiite group "Hezbollah".