‘Complex ambush’ by Hamas results in casualties for Israeli troops in Gaza’s Shujaiya

The Institute for the Study of War (ISW) says that an attack by Palestinian fighters that killed several Israel soldiers on Tuesday in Gaza involved a “complex, multi-part ambush” that first targeted an Israeli patrol and then a “quick reaction force” (QRF) sent to help the stricken unit, according to Al Jazeera.

The attack in the Shujaiya area of Gaza City in the north of the Palestinian territory began with the ambushing of an Israeli patrol that entered a three-building complex. When the reaction force was sent to rescue the patrol, the Palestinian fighters switched the focus of their attack, the Washington, DC-based think tank said.

“Hamas fighters continued to attack the QRF by setting off IEDs [improvised explosive devices] and throwing grenades at Israeli forces. Israel recovered the bodies of the Israeli fireteam, but five additional Israeli soldiers died during the rescue operation including a battalion commander, three company commanders, and the ‘head of the Golani Brigade’s forward command team’,” the ISW reports.

The ISW also points out that Israeli military sources had claimed that Hamas’ Shujaiya Battalion had been “dismantled” already and had lost its “command and control” capabilities.

“The complex, multi-part nature of this ambush requires significant coordination between multiple Hamas tactical units. This suggests that at least some elements of Hamas‘ Shujaiya Battalion remain able to conduct military operations to defend Shujaiya,” it said.