Hamas fighters shock Israeli soldiers in Khan Younis ambush

A surprise Hamas attack in southern Gaza's Khan Younis on Wednesday shocked Israeli forces and prompted the military to brand the security breach a “failure”.

According to Israeli media, between 15-20 Hamas fighters emerged from a tunnel and separated into three groups: one to enter an unoccupied building, another to enter a building with soldiers stationed inside, and a third to lay down suppressive fire.

The existence of the tunnel had been previously known to the military, and it had been partially demolished, the Times of Israel said.

Fighting reportedly began when an Israeli officer standing on an upper floor opened fire on a fighter below.

A close-quarter firefight lasting around five minutes ensued between the fighters and about 15 soldiers from Israel's Nahshon Battalion, which required backup from the air force and a tank.

According to Ynet, three Hamas fighters were killed in the initial shootout, and 10 more as they retreated - most of the latter struck by drone fire. An image purportedly shows a tank driving over one of the fighters. 

According to the Israeli reporters, the battle lasted around three hours and no Israelis were killed. Three soldiers were wounded in the attack, the military said, one of them seriously.

'Exceptional' attack

The military claimed in a statement that it found a stretcher Hamas fighters had brought with them, and that it was unclear "if it was meant for an abduction or for evacuating their casualties".

Hamas, meanwhile, said its fighters “eliminated several occupation soldiers”, including “the commander of a Merkava 4 tank, fatally wounding him”. 

It also said that a suicide bomber was successful in “causing casualties” among a group of soldiers.

Middle East Eye was unable to independently verify either the Israeli or Hamas claims.

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Doron Kadosh, a journalist with Israel's army radio, described the complex attack as "exceptional".

The attack comes as Israel launches a large-scale assault to seize and fully occupy Gaza City.

The army said that 60,000 reserve soldiers will be called up for the assault. It has begun issuing expulsion orders to displace hundreds of thousands of Palestinians from their homes.

According to the Gaza health ministry, Israeli forces killed at least 70 Palestinians on Wednesday. 

Overall, Israeli forces have killed more than 62,000 Palestinians since the genocide in Gaza began nearly two years ago, including at least 18,000 children.  

Meanwhile, 900 Israeli soldiers have been killed by Palestinian fighters in Gaza and during the 7 October 2023 Hamas-led attack on Israel.