Watan-The Al-Qassam Brigades, the military wing of Hamas, announced on Monday that it had killed and injured Israeli soldiers in a complex ambush a few days ago in the Al-Atatra area, west of Beit Lahia in northern Gaza.
In a statement, Al-Qassam said its fighters confirmed upon returning from the frontlines that they had executed a “complex ambush” in the area, targeting three Israeli military vehicles using Shawaz-type IEDs and a Tandem-charge projectile, followed by close-range combat with light weapons and hand grenades against another Israeli force.
The statement reported that the fighters inflicted both fatal and non-fatal casualties on the Israeli soldiers and observed helicopter evacuation on the scene last Friday.
The Israeli military has not issued any immediate comment on Al-Qassam’s statement.
As of May 9, 2025, the number of Israeli army personnel whose names were officially released as killed since October 7, 2023, stands at 856 officers and soldiers, including 8 since the resumption of the Gaza offensive on March 18, according to figures published on the Israeli army’s website.
In total, 5,758 Israeli troops have been injured, with 2,588 of them wounded during ground operations in Gaza.
Despite these official numbers, the Israeli army is accused of concealing the true scale of its losses, especially amid repeated claims by Palestinian factions of deadly attacks and ambushes targeting Israeli forces.
Numerous international reports have stated that Tel Aviv imposes strict military censorship on Israeli media regarding troop casualties and damage from Palestinian attacks—aimed largely at preserving public morale.
The Al-Qassam ambush is part of ongoing resistance against the Israeli ground invasion of Gaza, which continues with U.S. backing since October 7, 2023. The war has resulted in over 174,000 Palestinian casualties, mostly women and children, and over 11,000 missing, along with hundreds of thousands forcibly displaced.
In early March, the first phase of a ceasefire and prisoner exchange agreement between Hamas and Israel—brokered by Egypt and Qatar with U.S. support—concluded after beginning on January 19, 2025. Hamas upheld the deal.
However, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who is wanted by the International Criminal Court, reneged on the second phase and resumed the military assault on Gaza on March 18, under pressure from the extreme right-wing factions of his government, according to Israeli media.
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