CNN
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The fatal surprise attack in Gaza was almost as shocking as it was in the location.
On Monday night, a group of Israeli soldiers walked across a route used by tanks and armored vehicles about a mile from the border fence when the bomb exploded.
It was torn into the army from the Netza Yehuda Battalion, a remotely operated unit made up of ultra-orthodox soldiers.
A second bomb exploded and was operated remotely, causing more Israeli forces to rush to aid. When the third bomb went out a little later, it came with a fierce fire of small weapons from a Hamas cell, which was hidden nearby.
Within minutes, five Israeli soldiers were killed, 14 people were injured, some seriously injured.
The attack took place in Beithanon city, on the northeast corner of Gaza, which is easily visible from Sederot, an Israeli city of territories that should have been under Israeli military control.
In the first investigation, Hamassel placed bombs within the last 24 hours and prepared an ambush against the Israeli forces.
The complex attacks underline Hamas’ transition to Guerilastai’s tactics as extremist groups were abused and weakened after nearly 21 months of war, and repeatedly campaigning for rebellion against Israeli forces. But even in its exhaustion, Hamas continues to employ deadly attacks on Israeli forces within the strip. Throughout the war, Israeli forces had to return to parts of Gaza many times as Hamas reappeared in the area where Hamas claimed it had been cleared. A recent series of attacks shows that Israel’s goal of eradicating Hamas remains very elusive.
The military wing of Hamas, the Al-Kassam brigade, said Monday’s attack occurred “in areas that they thought were safe after the stones were not reversed.”
In a statement, Hamas described the war as a “war of attrition” against Israel. Israel attempts to add to soldiers seized during the attack on October 7th.
“Even if it recently miraculously succeeded in releasing soldiers from hell, it could fail later, leaving us with additional prisoners,” Hamas said.
On Wednesday, Hamas militants targeted Khan Eunice’s Israeli military engineering vehicle and fired rocket-propelled hand-ren bullets and charged the vehicle as the driver tried to escape, as seen in the video of the attack released by Hamas. According to Israeli forces, the militants tried to acquit soldiers and killed him in the process. This attempt was hampered by Israeli forces operating in the region. In a statement posted on Telegram two days later, the Al-Qassam brigade vowed that “the fate of the next soldier will be better as our new prisoners.”
Gaza’s brutal war of crushing is in contrast to Israel’s rapid and accurate operations in Iran, with the air and land campaigns conducted without military casualties. At least 19 soldiers have been killed in Gaza since the end of the 12-day Israeli-Iran conflict, according to the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF).
On the day of the Israeli-Iranian ceasefire, Hamas militants threw agitators underneath an open hatch of armored engineering vehicles in southern Gaza, killing all seven soldiers inside. The attack was one of the most fatal incidents in months for the IDF in Gaza.
Former IDF Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Herzi Halevi said in January that Israel had killed 20,000 Hamas fighter jets since the start of the war. Israel has also assassinated many of the top leadership of terrorist organizations. However, Hamas also recruited new fighter jets, and senior Israeli military officials said they replenished their ranks earlier this year. In March, Israeli public broadcaster Kan News reported that Hamas had recruited “hundreds” of new fighters.
According to the retired Major General of Israel ZIV, former director of IDF’s operations director, what remains is a loosely organized group of radical cells that can use the rest of Gaza’s underground tunnel network to carry out hit-and-run attacks to keep the rest of Gaza’s underground tunnel network moving and hidden.
Hamas has time to study how IDF works, Ziv tells CNN, and they’re turning it into an advantage.
“Their war is built around our weaknesses. They don’t protect their territory. They want targets,” he said.
Ziv said tensions among Israeli military personnel allowed Hamas to exploit the vulnerability, even in its weakened state.
“Hamas has undergone a transformation – it has become a guerrilla organization that operates in small cells. It is abundant in explosives, many of which have been dropped there by the IDF. This is the war of the IEDS.
Operating as a decentralized, independent group, it has made it difficult for Israel to target cohesive leadership structures. Last month, Israeli military officials told CNN that effectively targeting the rest of Hamas has become even more difficult.
“It’s hard to achieve tactical goals now,” the official said.
Hamas spent much of the rocket’s Arsenal long ago, and was able to fire only sporadic rockets that delivered near zero impacts. However, the ability to move inside the ruins of Gaza, armed with improvised explosive devices culled from tens of thousands of Israeli ammunition, transformed the tiled bles of the encircled enclave into a source of resilience.
Challenging the armed gangs in southern Gaza and the population that expressed open rage to Hamas, nevertheless, extremist groups found a way to continue the fight.
Even with consultations underway in Doha, or signs of some progress, the ceasefire remains elusive, and so far, mediators are unable to bridge the important gaps between the aspects. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said during his recent trip to Washington, D.C. Hamas must abandon his weapons and hand over his military and governing capabilities.
However, Hamas has not shown any willingness to make such major concessions in negotiations, and recent attacks are a sign of the force they still hold.
