ALBAWABA – On Sunday, Hamas' Al-Qassam Brigades posted video of their soldiers performing a complex ambush in Rafah, southern Gaza, targeting Israeli personnel and their military equipment. The November 22 operation purportedly avenged Hamas political bureau chief Yahya Sinwar's death.
Al-Qassam called the operation "The First Victory for Sinwar’s Blood." It took place near the Burj Awad crossroads in Al-Jneina, east of Rafah. In mid-October, Israeli soldiers murdered "Al-Aqsa Flood" commander Yahya Sinwar in Rafah's Al-Sultan area.
The Al-Qassam-Al Jazeera film depicted a multi-phase ambush. Sniper fire on Israeli soldiers advancing from Salah Al-Din (Philadelphia) was followed by anti-armor strikes against reinforcement trucks. Al-Qassam fighters fired "Yassin 105" rockets at a "Merkava" tank and a D9 military bulldozer.
A residential building with at least seven Israeli soldiers was targeted with an anti-personnel projectile.
Al-Qassam promised to release more footage of another ambush in a Rafah operation at the end of the video.
Al-Qassam previously declared the successful execution of a coordinated operation in which four Israeli troops were sniped with a "Ghoul" rifle, killing two. The "Merkava" tank dispatched to help was set on fire by a "Yassin 105" anti-armor rocket. A chopper evacuated wounded after a military bulldozer attempting to retrieve the tank was hit.
Since the October 27 Israeli ground incursion, Al Jazeera has extensively covered Al-Qassam's activities, which have reportedly cost Israeli forces heavily. The Brigades have routinely used well-planned ambushes to kill hundreds of Israeli soldiers and destroy hundreds of military vehicles.
