The al-Qassam Brigades have released striking footage of a powerful ambush they carried out against Israeli occupation forces in the town of Abasan, east of Khan Younis in southern Gaza. The operation, conducted last Saturday, resulted in the killing of three Israeli soldiers.
The footage shows the meticulous planning behind the operation. Fighters are seen identifying the presence of Israeli armoured vehicles near a tunnel opening—at a location previously targeted in a similar attack over a year ago, which had resulted in the death of an Israeli unit commander.
Two Qassam fighters emerge from the tunnel opening, each carrying a Shawaz-type explosive device. One of them approaches a Namer armoured personnel carrier, climbs onto it, and successfully activates and throws the explosive directly into the command cabin.
Within seconds, the fighter withdraws safely. The device detonates inside the vehicle, instantly killing its crew and causing the APC to be completely engulfed in flames.
The video also shows an Israeli military bulldozer attempting to extinguish the burning vehicle by burying it under sand—a desperate measure to conceal the damage.
Occupation Army Confirms Deaths
The Israeli military admitted that an officer and a soldier were killed in the ambush set by al-Qassam Brigades in Abasan, east of Khan Younis. The army identified the deceased as:
- Captain Amir Saad, 22 years old — a technology and maintenance officer from the Golani infantry brigade and a member of the Druze sect.
- Sergeant Einon Nuriel Fana — also from the technology and maintenance unit of the same brigade.
The Israeli army vaguely noted that the deaths occurred during battles in southern Gaza but refrained from specifying the exact location.
Leaks Reveal Higher Casualties
Several Hebrew-language accounts operating outside military censorship indicated that the ambush was far more severe than officially acknowledged. According to these sources, the actual death toll from the operation was higher than reported by the military spokesperson.
It was also revealed that Amir Saad, the slain officer, had received a promotion just one week prior to his death. He was reportedly a relative of Aalim Saad, the deputy commander of the Israeli 300th Brigade in the Galilee Division, who was also killed by Palestinian resistance fighters from Islamic Jihad during a cross-border infiltration from southern Lebanon on October 10, 2023.
Al-Qassam Issues Rare Immediate Statement
In a notable move, the al-Qassam Brigades issued a military communiqué shortly after the ambush—an unusual step given their standard policy of delayed disclosures.
In the statement, the Brigades said:
“In a complex ambush operation, Qassam fighters successfully targeted two Zionist armoured personnel carriers, placing two martyrdom charges inside their command cabins, which led to both vehicles and their crews being incinerated. Our fighters then targeted a third Zionist APC using a Yassin-105 rocket, all in the area of Abasan al-Kabira, east of Khan Younis in southern Gaza.”
They added:
“Our fighters observed an Israeli military bulldozer burying the vehicles to extinguish the flames, as well as the landing of helicopter aircraft to evacuate the dead and wounded.”
Contextual Note for Readers:
This ambush highlights the tactical sophistication and field agility of Palestinian resistance fighters in southern Gaza. It also underscores the increasing vulnerability of Israeli ground forces as they face determined, well-organised, and ideologically driven resistance across multiple fronts.
Despite the occupation army’s tight media control and downplaying of losses, such operations reaffirm the resilience of the Palestinian resistance, and the ineffectiveness of mere military hardware when confronted by a people defending their homeland with unwavering conviction.
