- Hamas ambush kills 8 Israeli soldiers in Rafah
- Israeli ground invasion of Gaza intensifies
- Calls for ceasefire grow amidst heavy casualties
Hamas gunmen killed eight Israeli soldiers in Rafah after they fired rocket-propelled grenades (RPGs) and ambushed a support team stationed there.
The attacks on Saturday were one of the worst days for Israeli soldiers in Gaza in months as the ground invasion of the southern area intensified.
The Qassam Brigades, Hamas’ military wing, stated in a statement that its soldiers “carried out a complex ambush against enemy vehicles” in the Saudi suburb of Tal as-Sultan area in western Rafah.
The armed group said it launched Yassin-105 RPGs at a D9 military bulldozer, killing and injuring an unspecified number of Israeli soldiers. A “rescue force” vehicle that arrived later was also attacked, “resulting in its destruction and the death of all its occupants”.
Israel’s army stated in a statement that the eight soldiers “fell during operational activity in southern Gaza” but did not elaborate. According to Daniel Hagari, Israel’s military spokeswoman, an investigation into the specific nature of the incident will begin.
“We are working to disarm all fighters so that Hamas does not target civilians again, as it did on October 7. Today, we received another reminder of the great price we are paying for this conflict, and we have warriors willing to give their lives to defend Israel,” Hagari said in a televised statement.
Since the ground invasion of Gaza began on October 27, at least 307 Israeli servicemen have been killed, and hundreds have been wounded. Since the conflict began on October 7, at least 37,296 Palestinians have perished, the majority of whom are women, children, and older people, according to the Gaza Health Ministry.
Saturday’s casualties are likely to intensify calls for a ceasefire and exacerbate Israeli public outrage. In January, 21 Israeli soldiers were murdered in a single attack by Palestinian fighters in central Gaza.
Rafah assault expands
Despite the worldwide outcry and censure, Israeli forces continue to advance toward and surround Rafah, where at least 19 Palestinians died on Saturday. Hundreds of desperate citizens who need food, water, and medicine remain in the city.
Air, sea, and artillery bombardment on the Tal as-Sultan area increased following the devastating Hamas ambush.
Mohamad Elmasry, a professor at the Doha Institute for Graduate Studies, said Saturday’s bombing demonstrates that Israel’s professed war goal of eradicating Hamas remained elusive after eight months of fighting.
The Palestinian resistance fighters have put up quite a fight,” noting a recent news story claiming US intelligence officials as saying that roughly 70% of Hamas’ fighting force is still intact.
What’s worse, from an Israeli standpoint, Hamas has been able to recruit thousands of new members, so there is no personnel shortage for Hamas.
According to Gideon Levy, an author and writer for the Israeli newspaper Haaretz, the deaths of eight soldiers represent a “heavy price for Israeli society.
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More and more Israelis are questioning what it is for and when. This might turn into an endless battle of attrition in which Hamas fighters can always kill and sabotage Israel’s soldiers, resulting in direct reprisal. It leads to nowhere. We will never attain the ludicrous ‘complete victory’ that Prime Minister Netanyahu claims.
Despite mounting international pressure for a ceasefire, an agreement to end the violence remains elusive.
Since a weeklong truce in November that rescued over 100 Israelis, repeated attempts to broker a ceasefire have failed, with Hamas demanding a permanent stop to the war and complete Israeli disengagement from Gaza. Netanyahu refuses to cease the invasion until Hamas is “eradicated”.
More than 100 hostages are thought to be in Gaza. However, many are believed to have died. The military wing of Palestinian Islamic Jihad, al-Quds Brigades, stated on Saturday that Israel could only reclaim its people if it ended the war and removed troops from the besieged area.
