The Zana ambush, referred to as the Ambush of the Righteous by Hamas, was a multi-phase ambush carried out on 6 April 2024 by the Qassam Brigades against Israel Defense Forces (IDF) personnel and vehicles in the Gaza Strip. Four Israeli soldiers were acknowledged by Israel to have been killed, while the Qassam Brigades suffered no casualties.
In February, the IDF claimed that it had dismantled Hamas's battalions in Khan Yunis, and to give credence to that claim, Defense MinisterYoav Gallant visited the city.[1] However, Palestinian militants continued to attack Israeli forces throughout February and March, which appeared to disprove the assertion made by Israel.
Ambush
The Qassam brigades asserted that the very location of the ambush, Al Zana, was one of the areas Israel claimed to have subdued and pacified.
The Israeli army initially downplayed the severity of the ambush, stating only that 4 soldiers had been killed “in battles throughout the Gaza Strip”, without specifying how or in what kind of situation that had happened, and omitting all mention of an ambush.[2]
On April 9, 2024, the Qassam Brigades published an 8-minute video[citation needed] showing how the operation was prepared using a sheet of paper, and a toothbrush to point out the locations of possible confrontations. The video also showed the ambush itself, recorded by CCTV footage that included each part of the operation, thus seeking to demonstrate that it had been much more sophisticated and severe than the Israeli army had implied, and made up of several phases.[3]
The Qassam brigades set up a “killing zone”, a field laced with IED's and booby traps, to serve as a line of defence if they were to be pursued by Israeli reinforcements, before recording the unsuspecting soldiers as they advanced to the area of the planned ambush. The ambush took place in two main phases: the anti-infantry and the anti-tank phase.
As the Israeli patrol passed by an area of Al Zana which their army had bombed into rubble, they fell into an ambush, with Palestinian militants rising from their positions and opening fire on them. Ido Baruch, the captain who was commanding the patrol, was killed instantly. The other Israeli soldiers attempted to escape the gunfire, but one of them was soon wounded. He attempted to return fire before being overwhelmed by the Palestinian militants and killed. A third soldier, who had sought shelter behind a tank, was targeted by a sniper and killed. The remaining Israelis took refuge in one of the homes still standing in the area, which however had been rigged by the Qassam brigades who detonated the bombs, causing it to collapse over their heads.
As the remaining Israeli patrol soldiers called for reinforcements, the Qassam brigades retreated to their positions, preparing for the second phase of the ambush. A Merkava arrived to the area to rescue the remaining soldiers. As it passed by one of the buildings, a Palestinian militant fired an Al-Yassin 105 shell at the tank from the second floor, Hamas having calculated an optimal angle and distance to defeat the Trophy APS on the tank, and the Al-Yassin 105's tandem charge defeating the explosive reactive armour. The tank remained immobile for a considerable amount of time after the shot, demonstrating that it has been disabled by the shell. Two more tanks arrived, but were also targeted. With more vehicles arriving and the militants outnumbered, they retreated to their bases, and the Israeli forces realised that the area had been laced with IED's, so they decided not to pursue. The bodies of the killed soldiers were then carried away, and disabled vehicles towed.[4]
Aftermath
The ambush had a major impact on the Israeli army, demonstrating that Hamas was still able to inflict devastating blows despite being at a technological and numerical disadvantage, as well as disproving the Israeli claim that it had been dismantled locally. The Israeli military withdrew from Khan Yunis the next day.[5][6][7][8]
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