(...) An Israeli military spokeswoman told Ma’an that she could confirm a “suspected abduction” of an Israeli soldier in the area, while a Hamas political leader took responsibility for the move.
The military said in a statement that at around 9:30 a.m., “an attack was executed against (Israeli) forces operating to decommission a tunnel.”
“Initial indication suggests that an (Israeli) soldier has been abducted by terrorists during the incident.”
The military named the captured soldier as Hadar Goldin, 23. It said that two other soldiers were killed in the attack.
Hamas confirmed that their forces had carried out the capture, but strongly contested the version of events put forward by Israel.
The Hamas-affiliated Al-Qassam Brigades said that “there has not been any Israeli soldier in eastern Rafah for the past 20 days. But as soon as the ceasefire was announced, Israeli movement in the area began at around 2:00 a.m. (They moved) 2.5 kilometers into eastern Rafah.”
“In response to that, our fighters clashed with Israeli soldiers in Rafah at 7:00 a.m., killing and injuring many.”
“Israel is committing crimes against our people,” the statement continued. “The latest are the random shelling and airstrikes at people in eastern Rafah, violating the ceasefire, and disregarding the international efforts put into this deal,” al-Qassam said in a statement.
“It is the occupation which violated the ceasefire. The Palestinian resistance acted based on ... the right to self defense (and) to stop the massacres of our people,” spokesman Fawzi Barhum said in a statement.
The operation reportedly began after a Palestinian blew himself up near an Israeli military post east of Rafah, causing a large number of soldier to move to the area to defend the post.
Following the explosion, fighters emerged from tunnels nearby and captured an Israeli soldier.
In response to the attack, Israeli forces launched a massive artillery attack on eastern Rafah, with at least 35 dead and more than 200 injured so far.
The Israeli army, security services, and Shabak were currently said to be searching for the captured soldier, as intense shelling continued to rain down on Rafah.
