VIDEO: Hamas ambushes ‘Israeli’ outpost again: Investigation uncovers failures
An initial Israeli Occupation Forces (IOF) investigation has uncovered serious failures in the Khan Yunis attack yesterday, during which Hamas fighters ambushed a defensive position, damaged a camera, and engaged in hand-to-hand combat with the forces, according to Maariv Hebrew media.
Top ‘Israeli’ commanders told the Hebrew media that the incident was “serious and unsuccessful,” noting that some fighters managed to penetrate the IOF’s defenses and a significant portion even exited the defenses alive. Most of the fighting involving ‘Israeli’ soldiers reportedly occurred within the defensive positions. The ‘Israeli’ army reported that 15 Hamas fighters were allegedly eliminated in the attack.
The IOF stated that a Hamas platoon of around 15 fighters, possibly more, emerged from a tunnel shaft, hit a camera, and charged toward the defenders. An IOF source added that some fighters successfully penetrated the defensive line.
Ambush details
At around nine in the morning, the Kfir Brigade received a report of an ambush at a defensive position, a company defensive post with a patrol force, a Nachshon platoon, and a tank from the 74th Battalion. The Hamas fighters split into three groups: one entered the structure, another became trapped on a rampart, and the third penetrated the company area.
The investigation revealed that Hamas fighters fired at ‘Israeli’ soldiers from close range. Armored reinforcements reportedly identified several fighters, ran over one with a tank, and injured others. While the main battle lasted only a few minutes, scanning and securing the area until the last fighter was allegedly eliminated took approximately three hours.
Identified failures
The IOF investigation highlights serious shortcomings in the conduct of the 36th Division and Kfir Brigade forces, who had been stationed in this defensive position for several weeks. The position protects vital assets in the sector. Although the tunnel route had been scanned previously, the tunnels were damaged but not destroyed and were subsequently used by Hamas fighters.
The IOF noted that a nearby shaft, previously blocked, was bypassed by the fighters who dug a new gap along the tunnel route. A few days prior, the Kfir Brigade detected suspicious movement and set up an ambush, but the fighters did not follow the expected infiltration path, and the area was not properly analyzed.
The IOF also faces difficulty explaining how perimeter defenses failed to detect the fighters’ movements, either visually or via drones, as well as the lack of intelligence from the Shin Bet and Military Intelligence to anticipate such a large-scale Hamas operation.
