Hamas fighters killed eight Israeli troopers touring in army autos in Rafah after firing rocket-propelled grenades (RPGs) after which ambushing a help drive deployed to the scene.
The assaults on Saturday marked one of many deadliest days for Israeli troopers in Gaza in months as its floor invasion of the southern area continues to ramp up.
Qassam Brigades, Hamas’s armed wing, mentioned in an announcement its troopers “carried out a posh ambush in opposition to enemy autos” within the Saudi neighbourhood of Tal as-Sultan district, western Rafah metropolis.
The armed group mentioned it fired Yassin-105 RPGs at a D9 army bulldozer, killing and wounding an unidentified variety of Israeli troopers. A “rescue drive” car that later arrived was additionally attacked, “leading to its destruction and the loss of life of all its occupants”.
Israel’s military mentioned in an announcement the eight troopers “fell throughout operational exercise in southern Gaza”, with out elaborating. Daniel Hagari, Israeli’s army spokesperson, mentioned an investigation shall be launched into how precisely the assault occurred.
“We’re working to disarm all of the fighters so as to forestall Hamas from concentrating on civilians once more like on October 7. In the present day, we obtained one other reminder of the excessive worth we’re paying due to this struggle, and now we have troopers able to sacrifice their lives so as to defend Israel,” Hagari mentioned in a televised assertion.
Not less than 307 Israeli troops have been killed and 1000’s wounded since October 27 when the bottom invasion of Gaza was launched. Not less than 37,296 Palestinians – largely ladies, kids, and aged – have died for the reason that struggle started on October 7, Gaza’s well being ministry says.
Saturday’s casualties will probably gasoline requires a ceasefire and heighten Israeli public anger. In January, 21 Israeli troops had been killed in a single assault by Palestinian fighters in central Gaza.
Rafah assault expands
Regardless of worldwide condemnation and censure, Israeli forces proceed to push into and encompass Rafah the place at the least 19 Palestinians had been killed on Saturday. Tons of of 1000’s of determined civilians with out meals, water, and drugs stay trapped within the metropolis.
Air, sea and artillery assaults on the Tal as-Sultan space intensified after the lethal Hamas ambush.
Mohamad Elmasry, a professor on the Doha Institute for Graduate Research, mentioned Saturday’s assault reveals Israel’s acknowledged struggle purpose of destroying Hamas stays elusive after eight months of fight.
“The Palestinian resistance fighters have put up fairly a battle,” he instructed Al Jazeera, noting a latest information report quoting US intelligence officers saying about 70 p.c of Hamas’s preventing drive stays intact.
“What’s even worse, from an Israeli perspective, is Hamas has been capable of recruit 1000’s of recent members so there’s no manpower challenge for Hamas.”
Gideon Levy, an creator and columnist with the Israeli newspaper Haaretz, mentioned the deaths of eight troopers is a “heavy worth for Israeli society”.
“Increasingly more individuals in Israel are asking what for and till when? This may grow to be an infinite struggle – a struggle of attrition through which as robust as Israel’s military is Hamas forces can all the time kill and sabotage, after which there shall be direct retaliation. It leads nowhere. We’ll by no means obtain this ridiculous ‘whole victory’ that Prime Minister Netanyahu speaks about,” Levy instructed Al Jazeera.
Regardless of rising worldwide strain for a ceasefire, an settlement to halt the preventing nonetheless seems distant.
Since a weeklong truce in November that freed greater than 100 Israelis, repeated makes an attempt to rearrange a ceasefire have failed with Hamas insisting on a everlasting finish to the struggle and full Israeli withdrawal from Gaza. Netanyahu refuses to finish the invasion earlier than Hamas is “eradicated”.
Greater than 100 captives are believed to stay in Gaza, although many are believed to be lifeless. The armed wing of Palestinian Islamic Jihad, al-Quds Brigades, mentioned on Saturday Israel may solely regain its individuals if it ends the struggle and pulls out troops from the besieged enclave.
