According to a statement by Al-Qassam Brigades, the military wing of Hamas, the overnight operation in Khan Younis, the Al-Sabra district, and Zaytoun neighborhood of Gaza left one Israeli soldier dead, 11 others wounded, and four missing, with strong indications they may have been captured by the resistance.
Israeli media, under heavy censorship, referred to the incidents as “security events,” concealing details about the soldiers’ fate. Reports from Hebrew outlets confirmed that large numbers of Al-Qassam fighters took part in the Zaytoun ambush, while Israeli helicopters sent to evacuate casualties came under intense resistance fire.
The occupation media itself acknowledged the scale of the losses, calling the Zaytoun ambush the most severe blow since October 7. In desperation, the Israeli military reportedly invoked the notorious “Hannibal Protocol” — an order that permits killing its own soldiers to prevent them from being captured, even by bombing positions where they may be held.
Al-Qassam spokesman Abu Obeida warned in a recent statement that Israel’s plan to occupy Gaza would end in disaster for the enemy. He stressed that resistance forces remain fully prepared, and that any further aggression will cost the occupation the blood of its soldiers and create new opportunities for capturing them.