Zana ambush

Ambush of the Righteous كمين الأبرار
Part of the Third Gaza War
Israeli soldier patrol led by Ido Baruch, who was killed during the ambush
Type	Ambush
Location	Al-Zana Khan Yunis, Palestine
Target	Israel defence forces
Date	April 6, 2024 (2024-04-06)
Executed by	Qassam Brigades
Casualties	4 (per Israel) killed

The Zana ambush, named the Ambush of the righteous by Hamas, was a sophisticated and multi-phase ambush prepared by the Qassam Brigades on 6 April 2024. Targeting both Israeli personnel and vehicles, it was successfully carried out without any casualties from Hamas, while 4 Israeli soldiers were acknowledged by Israel to have been killed

Background

In February, the Israeli army had claimed that it had dismantled Hamas's battalions in Khan Yunis and to further assert this claim, was followed with defence minister Yoav Gallant visiting the city.

In spite of this, Palestinian militants continued to attack and harass Israeli forces throughout February and March, disproving the assertion.

Ambush

The Qassam brigades asserted Al Zanna was one of the areas Israel claimed to have subdued and pacified, yet it was the very location of the ambush.

The Israeli army initially downplayed the severity of the ambush, stating that 4 soldiers had been killed “in battles throughout the Gaza Strip”, but did not specify the manners or conditions of their killing and neither did it specify the ambush targeting them.

On April 9, 2024, the Qassam Brigades published an 8-minute video including the preparations for the operation using an A4 sheet, pointing out locations of possible confrontations with a toothbrush. It also showed ambush itself, recorded by CCTV footage showing every event and demonstrating that it was much more sophisticated and severe than what the Israeli army had implied, as well as comprising several phases.

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 where the ambush was to take place. This ambush can be defined in two phases: the anti-infantry phase and the anti-tank phase.

As the Israeli soldiers advanced near to an area of Al Zana which they had bombed into rubble, they fell into ambush, with Palestinian militants rising from their positions and opening fire on them. Ido Baruch, the captain who was commanding this patrol was killed instantly. Upon this barrage of gunfire, the Israeli soldiers following Baruch fled, and during this flight another soldier was incapacitated. He attempted to return fire before being overwhelmed by Palestinian militants and swiftly eliminated. A third soldier, who sought shelter behind a tank, was targeted by a sniper and eliminated. The fleeing Israeli soldiers took refuge in one of the standing homes in the vicinity, however this home 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 from the second floor fired a yassin-105 shell at the tank, with both the angel and distance measures considered by Hamas to defeat the Trophy APS equipped on the tank, and the Al-yassin 105's tandem charge defeating the explosive reactive armour. The tank remains still for several moments after the shot, demonstrating that it has been disabled by the shell. Two more tanks arrive, but are subsequently targeted. With more vehicles arriving and the militants outnumbered, they retreat to their bases, and the Israeli forces realise the area had been laced with IED's, so they do not pursue them. The bodies of killed soldiers are then dragged from the area, and disabled vehicles towed on whinches.

Aftermath

The ambush had a major impact on the Israeli army, demonstrating Hamas was still able to inflict devastating attacks despite its technological and numerical disadvantages as well as the Israeli claim that it had been dismantled locally. The Israeli military withdrew from Khan Yunis the next day.