Hamas Al-Qassam Brigades ambushed Israeli soldiers in Gaza's Shujayea - Peace talks at risk - July 5, 2024
- Core Insights Advisory Services
- Jul 4, 2024
- 5 min read
July 5, 2024
At least one dead and several wounded - Attack on both Israeli Apache and the IDF headquarters east of Gaza City
"Hamas' armed wing has claimed responsibility for multiple attacks on Israeli troops and vehicles in recent hours in northern Gaza, specifically in the Shujayea district of Gaza, which the Israeli army invaded last week. In addition, the group said it launched an SAM 7 missile to an Israeli Apache helicopter into Shujayea's airspace, without mentioning whether the helicopter was hit or not. He also claimed to have fired rockets at Israeli positions near Gaza City and successfully hit three Merkava tanks with explosives against tanks.
Images of an Armored Personnel Transport Vehicle) uploaded to X (formerly Twitter).
The Al-Qassam Brigades, Hamas' military wing, announced that on Thursday it ambushed an Israeli force in the Shujaiya district, east of Gaza City, and targeted tanks in the same area, while Israeli occupation forces committed new massacres against civilians.
The Al-Qassam Brigades said in a statement via the Telegram app that their fighters clashed with IDF members leaving them dead and wounded. Reports of at least one dead and 17 injured. For the second day in a row, in the Shujaiya district of Gaza there are fighting between the IDF and Hamas. Through Hamas friendly, they say widespread Israeli casualties over the past week. As the fighting continued in the Shujaiya neighborhood, the Al-Qassam Brigades announced that their fighters had targeted two tanks "Merkava 4" with shells of al-Yassin 105. Yassin 105, which was unveiled on October 29, 2023, was reportedly developed by Hamas engineers from the Research and Industry Unit. It was first used against Israeli tanks and Merkava tanks during the Israeli operation in the Gaza Strip.
In June 2024, it was used to target an Israeli armored vehicle. The vehicle was destroyed and eight Israeli soldiers were killed.
Al Qassam, combined with the Al-Quds Brigades, the military wing of the Islamic Jihad Movement, also targeted a Merkava with the anti-tank Shawaz, also in Shujaiya. According to U.S. military data, these anti-tank missiles have the ability to penetrate about eight inches of steel. The shielding drilling device is said to contain an explosive substance covered with a cone-shaped lining, which is then used as part of the targeting mechanism.
Further, Al-Qassam reported that its fighters, combined with the Abdul Qader al-Husseini Brigades (Fatah's military branch in Gaza), fired a "SAM 7" missile to an Israeli Apache helicopter in Shujaiya airspace. Al-Quds Brigades said its fighters had detonated a barrel bomb in an Israeli military vehicle in the central area. Also, in collaboration with Al-Qassam fighters, it hit an Israeli Merkava with a high-explosion barrel bomb. They also announced that its fighters bombed positions of the Israeli army forces with mortars.
On another axis, the Al-Qassam announced that they targeted the Israeli army's headquarters of operations near the Nahaal Oz site in the Gaza Strip with missiles and 107 mm rockets. The Rajun missile weighs 2-3 kg and has an operational range of 15-17 km. In a salon, up to 20 missiles can be launched. Al-Aqsa Martyrs Briots published a video of Israeli civilians infiltrators infiltrators west of Rafah with missiles again 107 mm and mortar shells.
The Israeli army said on Wednesday that one officer was killed and three others were seriously injured in fighting in northern Gaza.
Captain Elay Elisha Lugasi, 21, from Kiryat Shmona, commander of a group in the 75th Battalion and the 7th Sa?ar Golani brigade, was killed during a battle in the northern Gaza Strip, the army said in a statement. According to the statement, three other soldiers of the order were seriously injured in the same battle. The last death puts the death toll of the Israeli army since the outbreak of the Israeli-Hamas War on October 7 last year to 676 officers and soldiers, 322 of whom have been killed since the start of ground operations in the Gaza Strip on October 27. Another 4,049 Israeli officers and soldiers have been injured since the start of the war, including 2,057 during the ground operation, according to the data.
Hamas has ruled the Gaza Strip since 2007. Its military wing, the Qassam Brigades, carried out attacks inside Israel on October 7, 2023, killing more than 1,400 people and capturing about 200 people, shocking across Israel. Hamas founded its military unit, the Qassam Brigades, in 1992 to support the goal of armed resistance against the Israeli occupation of the Palestinian territories. The name is inspired by the Syrian freedom fighter Ezzedine al-Qassam, who fought against the European colonists in the Levant.
After being expelled to Palestine by the French colonialists, he took over the Palestinian cause, calling for armed resistance against Jews and British assets. He was killed by the British colonial authorities in 1935. His armed struggle and subsequent death are believed to have triggered the 1936-39 Arab uprising in Palestine. Qassam Brigades have carried out numerous attacks, including suicide attacks, against Israel in their armed struggle. Gaza's largest and most well-organized armed group is led by military commander Mohammed Deif.
Deif has survived at least seven assassination attempts over the years, some of which wounded him to varying degrees or killed members of his family. The last two known attempts, according to the military, occurred in May 2021 when Israel and the Gaza militias fought for 11 days as part of an IDF operation known as Operation Guardian of the Walls. Before 2021, Israel had tried to kill Dafe during the 2014 Gaza war, but it barely failed, killing his wife and his 3-year-old daughter instead. Reports say the Qassam Brigades have expertise in improvised explosive devices (IEDs), missile launchers, anti-tank missiles and mortars, but relies heavily on its stealth tactics, with an extensive use of tunnels that allows its fighters to move unnoticed. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu told U.S. President Joe Biden on Thursday that he had decided to send a delegation to continue negotiations to reach an agreement with Hamas on the release of the hostages.
A source told the Israeli negotiating team, speaking on condition of anonymity, said there was a real possibility of reaching an agreement after Hamas made a revised proposal on the terms of a deal. The Israeli response to Hamas's proposal, submitted through mediators, was in stark contrast to previous cases during the nearly nine-month war in Gaza, where Israel took for the conditions imposed by Hamas were not acceptable. An Israeli official said the head of the Mossad intelligence service would lead the Israeli delegation for the talks.
A Reuters source told the Israeli negotiating team: "There is an agreement with a real possibility of implementation."
Some far-right partners in Netanyahu's ruling coalition have indicated that they might resign from the government if the war ends before Hamas is destroyed. Their withdrawal from the coalition would likely end Netanyahu's premiership.
The Reuters source said the risk of sabotage of the deal on "political reasons.""
Source: WarNews24/7
