Tal al-Sultan Ambush
{{Short description|Attack on Israeli soldiers by Hamas in Rafah}}
{{merge to|Tel al-Sultan refugee camp|date=May 2025}}
{{pp-extended|small=yes}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=April 2025}}
{{Infobox military conflict
| name = Tel al-Sultan ambush
| partof = the Rafah offensive during the Gaza war
| date = 15 June 2024
| place = Tel al-Sultan, Rafah, Gaza Strip
| result = Hamas victory
| combatant1 = {{flag|Hamas}}
| combatant2 = {{flagicon|Israel}} Israel
| commander1 = {{flagicon image|Flag of al-Qassam Brigades.svg}} Unknown
| commander2 = {{flagicon image|Flag_of_the_Israel_Defense_Forces.svg}} Wassem Mahmoud{{KIA}}
| units1 = {{flagicon image|Flag of al-Qassam Brigades.svg}} Al-Qassam Brigades
| units2 = {{tree list}}
- {{armed forces|Israel}}
- 20px 601st Battalion{{tree list/end}}
| casualties1 = {{flagicon image|Flag of al-Qassam Brigades.svg}} None
| casualties2 = {{flagicon image|Flag_of_the_Israel_Defense_Forces.svg}} 8 soldiers killed
{{flagicon image|Flag_of_the_Israel_Defense_Forces.svg}} 1 Namer destroyed
{{flagicon image|Flag_of_the_Israel_Defense_Forces.svg}} 1 D9 armored bulldozer destroyed
| conflict = Tel al-Sultan ambush
| image = Asaf 601 Combat Engineering Battalion exercises, January 2023. V.jpg
| caption = A Namer APC and a Merkava tank of the 601st Combat Engineering Battalion during an exercise in January 2023
| campaignbox = {{Campaignbox Gaza war}}
}}
The Tel al-Sultan ambush occurred on 15 June 2024, when members of the armed wing of Hamas, the Izz ad-Din al-Qassam Brigades, ambushed an Israeli convoy near the Tel al-Sultan refugee camp, west of Rafah in the Gaza Strip.
Background
{{Main article|Rafah offensive}}
On 6 May, Israeli forces launched a military offensive in and around the city of Rafah. Before and during the initial phase of the operation, Israeli forces conducted at least 50 airstrikes targeting the area.{{Cite web |title=Israel-Gaza updates: 300,000 have fled Rafah, UN agency says |url=https://abcnews.go.com/International/live-updates/israel-hamas-war/?id=109948593 |access-date=2024-12-05 |website=ABC News |language=en}}
On 26 May, an Israeli airstrike in Rafah resulted in the deaths of 45 Palestinians. According to Israeli authorities, the strike targeted a Hamas installation. The attack triggered a fire in the Tel al-Sultan refugee camp, where dozens of refugees were sheltered.{{Cite news |last=Al-Shalchi |first=Hadeel |last2=Baba |first2=Anas |date=May 27, 2024 |title=An Israeli airstrike killed 45 Palestinians in an encampment for displaced people |url=https://www.npr.org/2024/05/27/nx-s1-4982690/rafah-encampment-israeli-airstrike-hamas |work=npr}}{{Cite news |date=2024-05-26 |title=Israeli strike on Rafah, where displaced Gazans are sheltering, kills 35 days after ICJ ruling |url=https://www.abc.net.au/news/2024-05-27/israeli-airstrike-kills-35-as-gaza-hamas-fires-rockets-to-israel/103895778 |access-date=2024-12-05 |work=ABC News |language=en-AU}}
Ambush
At around 05:15 local time, during an overnight offensive in Tal al-Sultan, a Namer armored personnel carrier, which had been involved in the operation, was returning with the rest of the force to captured buildings to allow troops to rest.{{Cite web |title=Israel-Gaza war: 8 Israeli soldiers killed in Rafah, IDF says |url=https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c722r0p31x7o |access-date=2024-12-12 |website=www.bbc.com |language=en-GB}}{{Cite news |last=Boxerman |first=Aaron |date=15 June 2024 |title=Israel Says Eight Soldiers Are Killed in Southern Gaza |url=https://www.nytimes.com/live/2024/06/15/world/israel-gaza-war-hamas}} Hamas first targeted a Caterpillar D9 armored bulldozer with an Al-Yassin 105 anti-armor missile, setting it on fire and causing injuries and fatalities among its crew.{{Cite web |author=Al Jazeera Staff |title=8 Israeli soldiers killed in southern Gaza ambush; deadliest day in months |url=https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2024/6/15/8-israeli-soldiers-killed-in-southern-gaza-ambush-deadliest-day-in-months |access-date=2024-12-12 |website=Al Jazeera |language=en}}{{Cite web |last=Raine |first=Lauren Izso, Ibrahim Dahman, Eyad Kourdi, Andrew |date=2024-06-15 |title=Eight Israeli soldiers killed in Gaza in one of the deadliest incidents for the IDF since October 7 |url=https://edition.cnn.com/2024/06/15/middleeast/eight-soldiers-killed-rafah-intl/index.html |access-date=2024-12-12 |website=CNN |language=en}} Following this, Hamas fired another Al-Yassin 105 missile at the Namer,{{Cite web |last=admin |date=2024-06-15 |title='Complex Ambush' - Israeli Army Acknowledges Killing of Eight Soldiers in Gaza Battles |url=https://www.palestinechronicle.com/complex-ambush-israeli-army-acknowledges-killing-of-eight-soldiers-in-gaza-battles/ |access-date=2024-12-12 |website=Palestine Chronicle |language=en-US}} which was the fifth or sixth vehicle in the convoy. Initially, it was believed that the Namer may have hit a land mine or that an explosive device had been placed on it.{{Cite web |date=2024-06-15 |title=8 Israeli soldiers killed in southern Gaza in deadliest attack on Israeli forces in months |url=https://apnews.com/article/israel-palestinians-hamas-war-news-06-15-2024-d8726708ab503c29b6e652aa81f361e4 |access-date=2024-12-12 |website=AP News |language=en}}{{Cite web |date=2024-06-15 |title=Capt. Wassem Mahmoud, seven other IDF soldiers killed in Rafah blast |url=https://www.jpost.com/breaking-news/article-806330 |access-date=2024-12-12 |website=The Jerusalem Post {{!}} JPost.com |language=en}}{{Cite news |date=2024-06-16 |title=Eight Israeli soldiers and 19 Palestinians killed as fighting continues in Rafah |url=https://www.abc.net.au/news/2024-06-16/eight-israeli-soldiers-as-fighting-continues-in-rafah/103983990 |access-date=2024-12-12 |work=ABC News |language=en-AU}} The Namer was ultimately destroyed by the missile, and its crew was killed. It burned for about two hours after the ambush,{{Cite web |last=Julian |first=Hana Levi |date=2024-06-16 |title=Israel Grieves as IDF Identifies Eight Soldiers Killed in Rafah, Two in Northern Gaza |url=https://www.jewishpress.com/news/eye-on-palestine/hamas/israel-grieves-as-idf-identifies-eight-soldiers-killed-in-rafah/2024/06/16/ |access-date=2024-12-12 |language=en-US}} before being towed to a safe location.{{Cite web |last=Fabian |first=Emanuel |date=15 June 2024 |title=Eight troops killed in Rafah explosion, in deadliest incident for IDF in 6 months |url=https://www.timesofisrael.com/eight-soldiers-killed-in-rafah-explosion-in-deadliest-incident-for-idf-in-6-months/ |access-date=2024-12-12 |website=www.timesofisrael.com |language=en-US}}