BEIRUT, May 31. /TASS/. Members of Hamas’ armed wing, the Izz ad-Din al-Qassam Brigades, said they had blown up three Merkava tanks while repelling Israeli assaults in the south of the Gaza Strip, the movement said on its Telegram channel.

"Our fighters managed to blow up three armored vehicles of the adversary near a refugee camp to the south of Rafah, using Yasin-105 anti-tank guided missiles," the statement says. "One armored personnel carrier with soldiers was blown up by a mine near Dar Al-Salam Mosque."

Hamas fighters claimed they killed or injured at least five Israeli servicemen in the neighborhood of Tannura in Rafah.

According to Al Jazeera, the Israeli Air Force delivered strikes on ground targets in southern and central districts of Rafah, leaving at least 19 people dead, including women and children.

A total of 53 civilians were killed and 357 wounded by Israeli bombing of the Palestinian enclave on May 29.