This handout picture released by the Israeli military on January 22, 2024, shows Israeli soldiers operating in the Gaza Strip . (Photo by AFP)

A high-ranking member of the Palestinian Islamic Jihad resistance movement has hailed the resistance fighters’ operation in the al-Maghazi refugee camp in the central Gaza Strip, saying Israel’s heavy losses in a single day show the regime has failed in all its goals in the war against the besieged territory.

Ihsan Ataya, a senior member of the political bureau of Islamic Jihad, made the remarks in an interview with Palestine al-Youm broadcaster on Tuesday, after resistance fighters killed 24 Israeli troopers in Gaza earlier in the day.

The occupation regime of Israel is in shock due to the deaths of its soldiers in the recent battle with the Palestinian resistance fighters, he said.

The senior Islamic Jihad official also noted that since the start of the Israeli aggression against Gaza in early October, there has been complete coordination between the Palestinian resistance forces to confront the occupying regime.

Ataya went on to say that the resistance fighters are aware that unity in the battlefield is the essential pillar for victory against this occupying regime, emphasizing that this movement will continue to fight along with other resistance groups against Israeli forces.

Separately, Islamic Jihad spokesman Musab al-Berim noted that this blow against the Israeli regime marks a political end for all those whose hands are stained with the blood of Palestinians, while referring to the successful operation of resistance fighters in the al-Maghazi camp.

He also said the number of deaths announced by the Israeli army is half the actual number of soldiers who have been killed in the operation.

On Tuesday, the chief Israeli military spokesperson, Daniel Hagari told reporters that 21 troopers were killed in Gaza after resistance fighters fired rocket-propelled grenades at a tank, and at the same time, an explosion occurred in two buildings where forces had planted explosives to destroy them.

Earlier, the military had said three soldiers were also killed in a separate attack in the southern Gazan city of Khan Yunis, bringing the Israeli occupation forces death toll to 219 for ground operations.

The so-called Israeli national security minister Itamar Ben-Gvir said the deaths of 24 soldiers in a single day make it clearer than ever that Israel must not cease operations in Gaza.

The Israeli military deaths came as Israeli forces pushed deep into western Khan Younis in Gaza, with an air, sea, and land bombardment that included storming a hospital and arresting medical staff, Gaza health ministry spokesman Ashraf al Qidra told Reuters.

The Israeli regime waged the war on Gaza on October 7 after the Palestinian resistance movement Hamas carried out the surprise Operation Al-Aqsa Storm against the occupying entity in response to the Israeli regime’s atrocities against Palestinians.

Since the start of the aggression, Israel has killed more than 25,400 Palestinians, mostly women and children.

The Tel Aviv regime has also imposed a complete siege on the territory, cutting off fuel, electricity, food, and water to the more than two million Palestinians living there.