‘Complex Ambush’ – Israeli Army Acknowledges Killing of Eight Soldiers in Gaza Battles
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The Israeli army acknowledged the death of eight soldiers in the bombing of a troop carrier during today’s battles in Rafah.
The Al-Qassam Brigades, the military wing of the Palestinian Resistance Movement Hamas, announced on Saturday a complex ambush against Israeli army vehicles in Tal Al-Sultan, west of Rafah, in the southern Gaza Strip.
The Israeli army acknowledged the death of eight soldiers in the bombing of a troop carrier during today’s battles in Rafah.
The Ambush
Al-Qassam said in a statement on Saturday that its fighters “executed a complex ambush against enemy vehicles advancing in the Saudi neighborhood area of Tal Al-Sultan, west of Rafah city.”
“A D9 military bulldozer was targeted with an Al-Yassin 105 shell, causing it to catch fire and resulting in the killing and injury of its crew,” the statement added.
“Upon the arrival of the rescue force, a Namer armored personnel carrier was targeted with an Al-Yassin 105 shell, leading to its destruction and the killing of all its members,” it concluded.
Israeli Army
The Israeli army admitted that eight soldiers were killed in the troop carrier bombing, including a deputy company commander in the 601st Engineering Brigade.
Israeli Channel 13 reported that the troop carrier was hit while moving, adding that the army took two hours to reach it.
According to Al-Jazeera, the Israeli news website Hadashot Bazman reported that military helicopters transported the soldiers’ bodies – all from the engineering corps – from the Rafah incident to the Beilinson and Shaare Zedek hospitals, confirming that eight families were informed of their children’s deaths.
Several Israeli social media accounts shared the news, stating that an anti-missile was fired at an armored vehicle, and that the eight soldiers inside were killed instantly and burned.
Al-Aqsa satellite channel reported that occupation forces intensified their artillery and air bombardment on Rafah to cover up the incident and evacuate the wounded and dead.
Al-Jazeera’s correspondent noted that Israeli helicopters, artillery, and naval boats have continued their violent bombardment of western Rafah since the morning.
Fierce battles
The Al-Qassam Brigades confirmed engaging in fierce battles with Israeli occupation forces penetrating west of Tal Al-Sultan since Friday morning.
The Al-Qassam Brigades added they targeted the enemy’s command headquarters in the Netzarim axis with 114 mm short-range Rajum missiles.
Similarly, the Al-Quds Brigades, the military wing of the Islamic Jihad Movement, announced that they, along with the Al-Nasser Salah al-Din Brigades, bombed the Kissufim military site with a missile salvo.
They also reported that, in coordination with the Al-Qassam Brigades, they bombed the Sufa military site in the Gaza Strip with missiles.
PTSD Crisis
Meanwhile, the Israeli newspaper Jerusalem Post quoted the Israeli organization Nifgashim as stating that thousands of Israeli soldiers are returning from Gaza suffering from “post-traumatic stress disorder.”
The organization reported that over 10,000 reserve soldiers have requested mental health services.
David Solomon, the organization’s president, reportedly emphasized the growing need to support reserve soldiers and their families in transitioning from combat to civilian life.
Ongoing Genocide
Currently on trial before the International Court of Justice for genocide against Palestinians, Israel has been waging a devastating war on Gaza since October 7.
According to Gaza’s Ministry of Health, 37,296 Palestinians have been killed, and 85,197 wounded in Israel’s ongoing genocide in Gaza starting on October 7.
Moreover, at least 7,000 people are unaccounted for, presumed dead under the rubble of their homes throughout the Strip.
Palestinian and international organizations say that the majority of those killed and wounded are women and children.
The Israeli war has resulted in an acute famine, mostly in northern Gaza, resulting in the death of many Palestinians, mostly children.
The Israeli aggression has also resulted in the forceful displacement of nearly two million people from all over the Gaza Strip, with the vast majority of the displaced forced into the densely crowded southern city of Rafah near the border with Egypt – in what has become Palestine’s largest mass exodus since the 1948 Nakba.
Israel says that 1,200 soldiers and civilians were killed during the Al-Aqsa Flood Operation on October 7. Israeli media published reports suggesting that many Israelis were killed on that day by ‘friendly fire’.
(PC, AJA)
