A series of ambushes and explosive attacks by Palestinian resistance fighters in Rafah mark a sharp escalation in ground confrontations with invading Israeli forces.
The Al-Qassam Brigades, the armed wing of the Palestinian Resistance Movement Hamas, announced on Sunday that its fighters had launched a series of coordinated operations against Israeli occupation forces in Rafah, southern Gaza, on Saturday, resulting in several casualties.
Hours after the Israeli army confirmed that an officer and a soldier were killed and four others wounded in a tunnel explosion in Rafah, the Qassam Brigades released details of their operations via Telegram.
According to their statement, Qassam fighters executed a sophisticated ambush in the Al-Janina neighborhood, east of Rafah.
An Israeli engineering unit was reportedly lured into a tunnel shaft that had been rigged with explosives. The operation began with a close-range clash, during which one Israeli soldier was killed.
Abu Obeida Hails ‘Military Miracle’ as Qassam Fighters Ambush Israeli Troops in Rafah
As more soldiers approached the tunnel entrance, it was detonated, causing further casualties, according to the statement.
Qassam fighters then targeted two Israeli tanks with Al-Yasin 105 missiles.
The group reported that its fighters observed the evacuation of the wounded and the retrieval of bodies near the Al-Zahraa Mosque in the same neighborhood.
In a separate incident in Al-Janina, the group claimed responsibility for detonating a booby-trapped house, killing and injuring members of an Israeli infantry unit. Additionally, an anti-personnel explosive was used against a six-member Israeli infantry team in the same area, also resulting in casualties.
‘Military Miracle’
On April 25, Abu Obeida, the spokesperson for the Al-Qassam Brigades, said in a Telegram post that their fighters are engaging Israeli forces across the Strip—from Beit Hanoun in the north to Rafah in the south—through coordinated ambushes designed to deliver “certain death” to invading troops.
Qassam vs IDF in Beit Hanoun: 3x RPG rounds fired on a newly established IDF troop position in NE Gaza; 60mm mortars on the same position. [Qassam Brigades 21/4] pic.twitter.com/IrW2sypMud
— Jon Elmer (@jonelmer) April 21, 2025
He described the resistance operations as a “military miracle” and praised the fighters’ steadfastness and combat capabilities, saying they are prepared to confront the Israeli army at any time and place of their choosing.
Last month, the Al-Qassam Brigades also announced they had carried out the “Breaking the Sword” ambush east of Beit Hanoun.
The operation began with an anti-tank missile strike on an Israeli combat intelligence vehicle.
As a support force arrived, it was hit with an anti-personnel bomb, killing and injuring multiple soldiers. The Al-Qassam Brigades also attacked a newly established Israeli position in the area with RPGs and mortar shells.
(PC, AJA)
It looks like Gaza will become the death trap for many Nazi Israelis.
Is Gaza Nazi Israel’s Vietnam?