CNN — The deadly surprise attack in Gaza was almost as shocking as its location.
On Monday night, a group of Israeli soldiers walked across a route used by tanks and armored vehicles about a mile from the border fence when a bomb exploded.
Remotely operated, it tore into the troops from the Netzah Yehuda battalion, a unit made up of ultra-Orthodox soldiers.
More Israeli forces rushed to their aid as a second bomb exploded, also remotely operated. When a third bomb went off moments later, it came with a hail of small arms fire from a Hamas cell that had been hiding nearby.
Within minutes, five Israeli soldiers had been killed and 14 more wounded, some with critical injuries.
The attack took place in the city of Beit Hanoun in Gaza’s northeast corner, easily visible from the Israeli city of Sderot, in territory that was supposed to be under Israeli military control.
An initial investigation found the Hamas cell placed the bombs within the previous 24 hours, preparing an ambush against Israeli forces, who likely believed they were operating in relative safety so close to Israeli territory.
The complex attack highlights a Hamas shift to guerilla-stye tactics as the militant group, battered and weakened after nearly 21 months of war, wages an insurgency campaign against the Israeli military. But even in its depleted state, Hamas has continued to mount deadly attacks against Israeli forces in the strip. Throughout the war, Israeli forces have had to return to parts of Gaza multiple times as Hamas reemerges in areas Israel claimed it had cleared. The recent string of attacks shows that Israel’s goal of eradicating Hamas remains very elusive.
Hamas’ military wing, the Al-Qassam Brigades, said Monday’s attack happened “in an area the occupation thought was safe after leaving no stone unturned.”
In a statement, Hamas described the war as a “battle of attrition” waged against Israel, one in which it would attempt to add to the soldiers it seized during the Oct. 7 attacks.
“Even if it miraculously succeeded recently in freeing its soldiers from hell, it may fail later, leaving us with additional prisoners,” Hamas said.
On Wednesday, Hamas militants targeted an Israeli military engineering vehicle in Khan Younis, launching a rocket-propelled grenade and charging the vehicle as the driver tried to flee, as seen in a video of the attack released by Hamas. According to the Israeli military, the militants tried to abduct the soldier, killing him in the process. The attempt was thwarted by Israeli forces operating in the area. In a statement posted on Telegram two days later, the Al-Qassam Brigades vowed “the fate of the next soldier will be better as our new prisoner.”
The brutal, grinding war of Gaza contrasts sharply with Israel’s quick and precise operation in Iran, a campaign carried out by air and on land without any military casualties. Since the end of the 12-day Israel-Iran conflict, at least 19 soldiers have been killed in Gaza, according to the Israel Defense Forces (IDF), including the attack in Beit Hanoun.
On the day of the Israel-Iran ceasefire, a Hamas militant threw an incendiary device down the open hatch of an armored engineering vehicle in southern Gaza, killing all seven soldiers inside. The attack was one of the deadliest incidents in months for the IDF in Gaza.
Former IDF Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Herzi Halevi said in January that Israel had killed 20,000 Hamas fighters since the beginning of the war. Israel has also assassinated much of the terror organization’s top leadership. But Hamas has recruited new fighters as well, a senior Israeli military official said earlier this year, replenishing their ranks. In March, Israel’s public broadcast, Kan News, reported that Hamas had recruited “hundreds” of new fighters.
What remains is a loosely organized group of militant cells, able to carry out hit-and-run attacks, using what remains of Gaza’s underground tunnel network to move and stay hidden, according to Retired Maj. Gen Israel Ziv, former head of the IDF’s Operations Directorate.
Hamas has had time to study how the IDF operates, Ziv told CNN, and they are turning that to their advantage.
“Their war is built around our weaknesses. They don’t defend territory — they seek targets,” he said.
Ziv said the strain on Israel’s military manpower has allowed Hamas to exploit vulnerabilities, even in its weakened state.
“Hamas has undergone a transformation — it has become a guerrilla organization operating in small cells. It has an abundance of explosives, much of it from the munitions the IDF has dropped there. This is a war of IEDs. Hamas is creating ambushes and taking initiative by controlling key bottlenecks,” said Ziv.
Operating as decentralized, independent groups has made it harder for Israel to target a cohesive leadership structure. Last month, an Israeli military official told CNN that it has become more difficult to effectively target what remains of Hamas.
“It’s harder now to achieve tactical goals,” the official said.
Hamas long ago expended the vast majority of its rocket arsenal, able now to launch only sporadic rockets that have near-zero impact. But their ability to move among the ruins of Gaza, armed with improvised explosive devices culled from tens of thousands of Israeli munitions, has turned the rubble of the besieged enclave into a source of resilience.
Challenged by armed gangs in southern Gaza and a population that has expressed open anger at Hamas, the militant group has nevertheless found a way to continue the fight, exacting a deadly price with each passing week that goes by without a ceasefire.
Even with talks ongoing in Doha and signs of some progress, a ceasefire remains elusive, with mediators so far unable to bridge the key gaps between the sides. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said during his recent trip to Washington, DC that Hamas must lay down its arms, ceding its military and governing capability, or Israel will resume the war.
But Hamas has shown no willingness to make such major concessions in negotiations, and the recent attacks are an indication of the power they still retain.
