Tal al-Sultan Ambush
The Tal al-Sultan ambush occurred on 15 June 2024, when members of the armed wing of Hamas, the Izz ad-Din al-Qassam Brigades, ambushed an Israeli convoy near the Palestinian refugee camp of Tal al-Sultan, west of Rafah in the Gaza Strip.
| Tal al-Sultan ambush | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Part of the Rafah offensive during the Israel–Hamas war | |||||||
 A Namer APC and a Merkava tank of the 601st Combat Engineering Battalion during an exercise in January 2023 | |||||||
| |||||||
| Belligerents | |||||||
 Hamas |
 Israel | ||||||
| Commanders and leaders | |||||||
|
Unknown |
 Wassem Mahmoud † | ||||||
| Units involved | |||||||
|
Al-Qassam Brigades | |||||||
| Casualties and losses | |||||||
|
None |
8 killed 1 Namer destroyed 1 D9 armored bulldozer destroyed | ||||||
Background
[edit]On 6 May, Israeli forces launched a military offensive in and around the city of Rafah. Before and during the initial phase of the operation, Israeli forces conducted at least 50 airstrikes targeting the area.[1]
On 26 May, an Israeli airstrike in Rafah resulted in the deaths of 45 Palestinians. According to Israeli authorities, the strike targeted a Hamas installation. The attack triggered a fire in the Tel al-Sultan refugee camp, where dozens of refugees were sheltered.[2][3]
Ambush
[edit]At around 05:15 local time, during an overnight offensive in Tal al-Sultan, a Namer armored personnel carrier, which had been involved in the operation, was returning with the rest of the force to captured buildings to allow troops to rest.[4][5] Hamas first targeted a Caterpillar D9 armored bulldozer with an Al-Yassin 105 anti-armor missile, setting it on fire and causing injuries and fatalities among its crew.[6][7] Following this, Hamas fired another Al-Yassin 105 missile at the Namer,[8] which was the fifth or sixth vehicle in the convoy. Initially, it was believed that the Namer may have hit a land mine or that an explosive device had been placed on it.[9][10][11] The Namer was ultimately destroyed by the missile, and its crew was killed. It burned for about two hours after the ambush,[12] before being towed to a safe location.[13]
References
[edit]- ^ News, A. B. C. "Israel-Gaza updates: 300,000 have fled Rafah, UN agency says". ABC News. Retrieved 2024-12-05.
{{cite web}}:|last=has generic name (help) - ^ Al-Shalchi, Hadeel; Baba, Anas (May 27, 2024). "An Israeli airstrike killed 45 Palestinians in an encampment for displaced people". npr.
- ^ "Israeli strike on Rafah, where displaced Gazans are sheltering, kills 35 days after ICJ ruling". ABC News. 2024-05-26. Retrieved 2024-12-05.
- ^ "Israel-Gaza war: 8 Israeli soldiers killed in Rafah, IDF says". www.bbc.com. Retrieved 2024-12-12.
- ^ Boxerman, Aaron (15 June 2024). "Israel Says Eight Soldiers Are Killed in Southern Gaza".
- ^ Staff, Al Jazeera. "8 Israeli soldiers killed in southern Gaza ambush; deadliest day in months". Al Jazeera. Retrieved 2024-12-12.
- ^ Raine, Lauren Izso, Ibrahim Dahman, Eyad Kourdi, Andrew (2024-06-15). "Eight Israeli soldiers killed in Gaza in one of the deadliest incidents for the IDF since October 7". CNN. Retrieved 2024-12-12.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link) - ^ admin (2024-06-15). "'Complex Ambush' - Israeli Army Acknowledges Killing of Eight Soldiers in Gaza Battles". Palestine Chronicle. Retrieved 2024-12-12.
- ^ "8 Israeli soldiers killed in southern Gaza in deadliest attack on Israeli forces in months". AP News. 2024-06-15. Retrieved 2024-12-12.
- ^ "Capt. Wassem Mahmoud, seven other IDF soldiers killed in Rafah blast". The Jerusalem Post | JPost.com. 2024-06-15. Retrieved 2024-12-12.
- ^ "Eight Israeli soldiers and 19 Palestinians killed as fighting continues in Rafah". ABC News. 2024-06-16. Retrieved 2024-12-12.
- ^ Julian, Hana Levi (2024-06-16). "Israel Grieves as IDF Identifies Eight Soldiers Killed in Rafah, Two in Northern Gaza". Retrieved 2024-12-12.
- ^ Fabian, Emanuel (15 June 2024). "Eight troops killed in Rafah explosion, in deadliest incident for IDF in 6 months". www.timesofisrael.com. Retrieved 2024-12-12.