Palestinian Resistance fighters in the besieged Gaza Strip carried out a highly effective ambush against Israeli occupation forces late Monday night, reportedly killing at least five Israeli soldiers and wounding 14 others, several of them critically.

The operation took place in Beit Hanoun, a town in northern Gaza that has endured relentless Israeli bombardment since the start of the war on October 7, 2023.

According to Israeli media sources, some of the Israeli troops were burned to death during the assault, underscoring the intensity of the operation. The ambush bore similarities to a previous attack carried out on June 24, in which seven Israeli soldiers were killed when Resistance fighters struck an armored combat engineering unit.

Monday's operation was reportedly executed with strategic precision. According to field reports, Palestinian fighters began by detonating an improvised explosive device (IED) that targeted an Israeli armored vehicle on patrol. As Israeli rescue teams moved in to evacuate the wounded, additional IEDs were detonated in succession—four in total—crippling the reinforcements and maximizing Israeli casualties. In the final phase of the ambush, Resistance fighters opened fire with live ammunition, inflicting further losses.

The coordinated nature of the attack reflects the continued capability and resolve of Palestinian fighters despite months of heavy bombardment, siege, and displacement imposed by Israeli forces. The fighters reportedly withdrew safely after completing the operation.

Earlier on Tuesday, the Israeli military confirmed the deaths of five soldiers, including two officers, and acknowledged 14 others were wounded, with at least two in critical condition. The Israeli command described the incident as a roadside bomb attack, claiming the soldiers were on foot at the time of the explosion—an assertion that contrasts with earlier media reports stating that the first strike targeted an armored vehicle.

The aftermath of the ambush was chaotic, with wounded Israeli troops airlifted to at least five different hospitals across occupied territories. Israeli warplanes launched airstrikes in the Beit Hanoun area throughout the night, further endangering the civilian population already reeling from months of displacement and hardship.

This latest ambush appears to mirror the tactics used in the June 24 Resistance operation, where an explosively formed penetrator (EFP) was thrown into the hatch of a heavily armored Israeli Puma personnel carrier, obliterating the vehicle and setting it ablaze. That operation was claimed by the al-Qassam Brigades, the armed wing of Hamas, and led to the deaths of seven Israeli soldiers.

In both cases, the Resistance exploited gaps in Israeli ground operations, relying on intimate knowledge of the terrain, improvised but deadly munitions, and the element of surprise to turn the tide in localized battles.

As Palestinian fighters continue to resist the occupation through asymmetric warfare, the humanitarian situation in Gaza remains catastrophic. Israel’s near-daily airstrikes and ground assaults have displaced over 1.8 million people and led to the deaths of tens of thousands, most of them women and children.

Despite the overwhelming military imbalance, Monday’s ambush highlights the ongoing determination of Palestinian Resistance forces to confront the occupation and defend their land with courage and strategic acumen. (ILKHA)