Illustrative image.
The al-Qassam Brigades, the military wing of the Hamas Movement, released on April 21 video footage of a deadly ambush that targeted Israeli troops in the northern Gaza Strip two days earlier.
The ambush, which took place in the area of Beit Lahia, claimed the life of an Israeli soldier and left others wounded, including one seriously.
The footage released by the al-Qassam Brigades showed the group fighters firing a rocket-propelled grenade at a Storm III patrol vehicle of the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) during the ambush. The group said that a rescue force was then targeted with an improvised explosive device.
A nearby post of the IDF was later shelled with a number of rocket-propelled grenades and mortars, according to the footage.
This was the first time the IDF had taken losses since renewing its offensive in Gaza on March 18, shattering a ceasefire and prisoner exchange agreement that was brokered by the United States, Egypt and Qatar last January.
The IDF has so far occupied around 30% of Gaza’s territories without facing much resistance. Most of the advance was in southern Gaza, where the military has been working to establish a new security zone between Rafah and the nearby city of Khan Younis known as the Morag Corridor.
By April 23, the death toll in Gaza from the renewed Israeli offensive had reached 1,928, according to the Hamas-run health ministry.
While the al-Qassam Brigades are still willing to fight, Hamas appears to be betting on a diplomatic solution to end the war.
The war, which broke out after the October 7 Hamas-led surprise attack on Israel, has so far claimed the lives of more than 51,000 Palestinains and destroyed most of the Strip.
The Saudi-owned newspaper Asharq Al-Awsat reported on April 23 that Hamas was expected to propose a new ceasefire framework for Gaza in Cairo.
According to the report, the proposal includes the release of all remaining hostages held in the Strip – at least 59, including 24 who are believed to be alive – in one phase in exchange for an agreed-upon number of Palestinian prisoners, the withdrawal of IDF forces from Gaza to the positions held under the recent ceasefire deal, a halt to military operations, and the entry of humanitarian aid. Hamas will also demand a five-year ceasefire with international guarantees.
The report added that the proposed agreement includes the establishment of a technocratic committee for civilian governance in the Strip, based on an Egyptian proposal published in recent months, and openness for a reconciliation agreement with rival Fatah.
_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
SouthFront: Analysis and Intelligence
NOW hosted at southfront.press
Previously, SouthFront: Analysis and Intelligence was at southfront.org.
The .org domain name had been blocked by the US (NATO) (https://southfront.press/southfront-org-blocked-by-u-s-controlled-global-internet-supervisor/) globally, outlawed and without any explanation
Back before that, from 2013 to 2015, SouthFront: Analysis and Intelligence was at southfront.com
i always believe equality–i swallow mulatto jizz jizz in tel aviv
good work on this ambush! may more zionist monsters bite the dust!
glad to see hamas fighting back. textbook ambushes👍
shitty bastard netanyahu caused an earthquake in turkey.this guy will kill all the muslims and then his under-king ghassan alian will rule from the druze mountain.
1 soldado israelense morto a menos para a palestina.
seems limp and disappointing. before the break in hostilities they were hitting the idf left and right. now they’re barely doing anything. if they can’t kick it up a few notches, they’re in trouble.