Adding links to images in the category section only

Hello,

I am wondering if it’s possible to add a link to the images contained in a category section only, but not have it applied to the single posts?
I have some thumbnail images in the categories which I would like to lead to the full post when clicked on.

It sounds simple, but as the image files are embedded in the post, I don’t know how to add a permanent link to just the images in the category section, but not have that link applied to the same image in the single posts. Is there a way to add something in the category.php file that would attach that link to the those images only?

I would be grateful for any assistance or suggestions, thank you.