On 13 December 2023, during the wider Israeli invasion of Gaza,

Hamas The Islamic Resistance Movement, abbreviated Hamas (the Arabic acronym from ), is a Palestinian nationalist Sunni Islam, Sunni Islamism, Islamist political organisation with a military wing, the Qassam Brigades. It has Gaza Strip under Hama ...

forces carried out an ambush at

Shuja'iyya Shuja'iyya (), also ''Shejaiya'', ''Shijaiyeh'', ''Shujayya'', ''Shuja'ia'', ''Shuja'iya'', is the southern quarter of Old City of Gaza, and the only quarter of the Old City located outside the historical city walls. It is one of the largest neig ...

. The ambush resulted in the deaths of 10 Israeli soldiers. One of the dead soldiers was

Colonel Colonel ( ; abbreviated as Col., Col, or COL) is a senior military Officer (armed forces), officer rank used in many countries. It is also used in some police forces and paramilitary organizations. In the 17th, 18th, and 19th centuries, a colon ...

Yitzhak Ben-Bashat.

Ambush

The soldiers killed in Shuja'iyya fell victim to a coordinated ambush that began when Izz ad-Din al-Qassam Brigade militants fired on a Golani force operating in the area. As the

Golani Brigade The 1st "Golani" Brigade (, ''Hativat Golani'') is an Israeli military infantry brigade. It is subordinated to the 36th Division and traditionally associated with the Northern Command. It is one of the five infantry brigades of the regular Is ...

soldiers approached the building, they came under attack with gunfire breaking out, accompanied by an explosive blast and the launch of grenades towards them. Four soldiers sustained injuries, leading to a loss of communication and raising fears of potential abduction into nearby

tunnels A tunnel is an underground or undersea passageway. It is dug through surrounding soil, earth or rock, or laid under water, and is usually completely enclosed except for the two portals common at each end, though there may be access and ve ...

. Another force arrived to extract the soldiers and encountered a similar ambush, facing gunfire and explosive charges. A third force attempting to locate the stranded soldiers also faced combat. The battles persisted until the soldiers were rescued with the assistance of air support and artillery. Israeli

Maariv ''Maariv'' or ''Maʿariv'' (, ), also known as ''Arvit'', or ''Arbit'' (, ), is a Jewish prayer service held in the evening or at night. It consists primarily of the evening '' Shema'' and ''Amidah''. The service will often begin with two ...

military correspondent described what happened as being a well-executed ambush. "The Golani force, which was present there initially, came under heavy gunfire. During the rescue operation, the unit which arrived also came under heavy gunfire, and as a result, the unit entered the booby-trapped building." "The injuries were severe, and part of the building collapsed on the Israeli forces inside."

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Shuja'iyya, 2023 2023 in the Gaza Strip December 2023 in Israel Israeli invasion of the Gaza Strip Gaza City in the Israel–Hamas war Military operations of the Gaza war Battles in 2023 Ambushes of the Israeli–Palestinian conflict Shuja'iyya

Ambush

See also

References