Israeli forces suffered significant casualties in Friday’s battle with Hamas fighters in Sheja’iyya, Gaza, after a two-hour rescue operation.
The Israeli Army Radio released on Saturday details from the initial investigation into the battle that took place on Friday between fighters from the Al-Qassam Brigades, the military wing of the Palestinian Resistance Movement Hamas, and Israeli forces in the Sheja’iyya neighborhood, east of Gaza City.
The confrontation resulted in the death and injury of several Israeli soldiers, including an officer.
Today, Israeli police announced the death of Netta Yitzhak Kahana, a member of the Border Guard’s undercover unit.
The Israeli army also confirmed the death of Captain Ido Voloch and the injury of three other soldiers during the armed clash in Sheja’iyya.
Al-Qassam Brigades release footage showing the sniping of four Israeli soldiers and officers on Al-Awda Street, east of Beit Hanoun, northern Gaza Strip. pic.twitter.com/vzrXrM5Dbj
— The Palestine Chronicle (@PalestineChron) April 26, 2025
The Al-Qassam Brigades stated that their fighters targeted an Israeli special forces unit that had taken refuge in a house in the neighborhood, striking them with RPGs and the Yassin 105, and later engaging them with machine gun fire, causing deaths and injuries among the Israeli soldiers.
According to Israeli media, the initial investigation into Friday’s events indicated that a force from the Israeli army’s 16th Reserve Brigade was operating about a kilometer and a half from the border fence.
After carrying out combing operations, the force stayed in the area to set an ambush, assisted by members of the Yamas undercover unit.
At approximately 4:25 PM, an armed Palestinian cell arrived at the ambush site and clashed with the Israeli soldiers inside a building. During the exchange of fire, one member of the Israeli force was killed.
Immediately after the clash, a rescue operation was launched to evacuate the Israeli soldiers. The operation proved extremely difficult and took two full hours, during which Palestinian fighters targeted the rescuers multiple times.
An anti-tank missile was first fired at a military vehicle on its way to assist in the evacuation, moderately wounding one soldier. Later, two more anti-tank missiles were fired at a tank from the 46th Battalion, though these strikes initially caused no casualties.
About an hour after the first encounter, another missile hit a tank belonging to the same battalion, killing a battalion officer and injuring another soldier. Roughly half an hour later, another anti-tank missile was fired at the Israeli forces, and Palestinian fighters opened fire with small arms, injuring two more soldiers.
Israel’s Channel 12 reported that the evacuation of the wounded from Sheja’iyya was extremely complex, involving five separate clashes over two hours. Israeli news outlets also reported that the commander of the army’s 16th Brigade, known as the Jerusalem Brigade, was seriously wounded during the battle.
Meanwhile, Abu Obeida, spokesperson for the Al-Qassam Brigades, praised the performance of the Palestinian fighters.
In a Telegram post, he said that Qassam fighters were carrying out heroic battles and executing well-planned ambushes, striking Israeli forces “with certain death at the time, place, and method of their choosing.”
He described the resistance’s actions from Beit Hanoun to Rafah as a source of pride and a “military miracle,” and a testament to the strength and spirit of the nation’s youth.
Abu Obeida added that the fighters, whether stationed in combat positions or lying in defensive ambushes, remain steadfast and committed to their struggle until either victory or martyrdom.
(PC, AJA)
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