A deadly ambush by the Qassam Brigades in Khan Yunis has intensified criticism of the Israeli military, as resistance attacks escalate across Gaza.
The Al-Qassam Brigades, the armed wing of the Palestinian Resistance movement Hamas, announced on Thursday that its fighters shot an Israeli soldier near Muntar Hill, east of the Sheja’iyya neighborhood in Gaza City, last Monday.
Separately, on Friday, June 20, the group also reportedly destroyed two Merkava tanks, an armored personnel carrier, and a D9 military bulldozer in eastern Jabaliya, in northern Gaza, using pre-planted high-explosive landmines.
Meanwhile, the Al-Quds Brigades, the military wing of the Islamic Jihad Movement, released footage of a minefield detonation targeting an Israeli military convoy east of Khan Yunis on June 12.
The operation was part of the ongoing ‘Stones of David’ campaign by Palestinian resistance factions. The video showed fighters placing and detonating explosive devices as three Israeli vehicles returned to the area.
The Al-Qassam Brigades have released footage of a sophisticated and deadly ambush that took place on Tuesday and targeted two Israeli armored personnel carriers near the Ali bin Abi Talib Mosque in the Ma'an district, south of Khan Yunis.
According to statements from the… pic.twitter.com/8EQ1JsUygF
— The Palestine Chronicle (@PalestineChron) June 25, 2025
Throughout June, Palestinian resistance groups in Gaza have reported multiple operations targeting Israeli forces, which resulted in the deaths of at least 20 Israeli personnel, including several officers, and left others wounded, according to Israeli media.
Footage Revealed
On Wednesday, the Al-Qassam Brigades released footage of a high-profile ambush targeting two Israeli armored personnel carriers in Khan Yunis.
The operation killed seven Israeli soldiers, including an officer, and injured many more. A fighter was able to attach an explosive device to one of the vehicles, igniting a fire that the army failed to extinguish.
Military firefighting teams were dispatched but were unable to control the blaze. A D9 bulldozer attempted to smother the fire with sand, but this also failed.
Ultimately, the burning vehicle was towed—while still on fire and with the soldiers inside—first to Salah al-Din Street, then out of Gaza.
According to the Israeli military radio, the fire was only extinguished once the vehicle reached Israeli territory. All soldiers inside were pronounced dead.
New footage shows Al-Quds Brigades preparing and detonating Thaqib anti-armor mines in a calculated ambush targeting Israeli military vehicles east of Khan Yunis. pic.twitter.com/mCSyKmbvLM
— The Palestine Chronicle (@PalestineChron) June 26, 2025
Public Backlash
The ambush has sparked fierce criticism in Israel.
The Israeli newspaper Yedioth Ahronoth reported a joint statement from the families of the deceased soldiers, blaming the military for “gross negligence” and expressing horror at the “recklessness” surrounding the incident.
The families highlighted the outdated and malfunctioning equipment used by the 605th Infantry Division. Notably, their vehicles lacked 360-degree cameras, standard equipment in other military and even civilian vehicles.
In Tel Aviv, families of Israeli captives held in Gaza held a demonstration, demanding an immediate end to the war and a prisoner release deal.
One father called for renewed US intervention, referencing the January operation in which hostages were freed with American assistance.
Protesters argued that the war had lost its justification, claiming that Iran and its allies had already been defeated, and urged President Trump to take action to end the conflict.
(PC, AJA)
7 IDF soldiers… FINALLY MARTYRS SHABAN D’ALU, HIS MOTHER AND HIS BROTHER HAVE BEEN AVENGED!! It is hard to feel joy in deaths… but Martyr Shaban was in a flimsy tent, on a hospital bed, receiving care for his injuries and still a youth… And the accursed idf bombed his tent and burned him alive! They never felt an instant of pity and the ONLY reaction of the West was to send more bombs to keep the Genocide going!!..I CHEER HAMAS TO THE HEAVENS! DO ALL YOU CAN BRAVE JIHADIS TO FREE THE PALESTINIAN PEOPLE FROM the zionist savages !!!! THE 99% SUPPORT YOU!!