By Palestine Chronicle Staff  

Hamas has introduced a new and deadly tactic, planting explosive devices underground to target Israeli soldiers in Gaza and the West Bank.

The Palestinian Resistance movement Hamas has been employing a deadly tactic in both Gaza and the West Bank, planting remote-detonated explosive devices deep underground to target Israeli forces, according to a report in the Israeli newspaper Maariv.

Israeli military analyst Avi Ashkenazi highlighted that the Israeli army “has identified a shift in Hamas’s combat tactics in recent days, particularly in the northern Gaza Strip.”

The report further notes that more explosive devices, commonly referred to as “belly bombs,” are being planted deep underground and remotely activated. 

Three Israeli Soldiers Killed in Ambush in Northern Gaza

The fighters monitor the movements of Israeli soldiers from concealed positions, sometimes luring them toward these devices, which ultimately leads the forces into the area of the explosives, according to Ashkenazi.

This tactic has been under surveillance by Israeli forces for some time, with similar methods reported in the occupied West Bank. 

Ashkenazi claimed that the three Palestinians killed in the village of Tamoun on Wednesday, including two children aged 8 and 10, were planting devices to lure soldiers into a deadly trap.

“In recent weeks, a large number of fighters from the Kfir Brigade, Nahal, combat engineering units, and armor divisions have been killed in the northern Gaza Strip due to this type of death trap,” the report added.

It also noted that current weather conditions present a challenge, with military bulldozers unable to plow the soil deeply enough. Meanwhile, Palestinian resistance fighters “manage to dig quickly and deeply, placing the explosive devices.”

Israeli Drone Attack Kills Three in West Bank, Including Two Children

In a separate report, Ashkenazi and Alon Hachmon expressed concerns over the possibility of a second October 7 attack by Hamas in the northern West Bank.

The panic among residents of cities near the seam line, and the growing fear following the events of October 7, as previously reported in Maariv, is further exacerbated by the alarming statements of Rafi Saar, mayor of Kfar Saba. 

According to Saar, “Recent events, such as the seizure of an RPG launcher in Jenin, highlight the tangible and serious nature of this threat. The state must take responsibility and act immediately to ensure the safety of the residents.”

(The Palestine Chronicle)