The al-Qassam Brigades, the military wing of the Palestinian Resistance movement Hamas, revealed on Friday that its fighters attempted to capture an Israeli occupation soldier during a daring daylight raid east of Khan Younis in southern Gaza. The group confirmed the operation targeted Israeli soldiers and military vehicles, including a Merkava tank and a troop carrier, using Yassin-105 rocket-propelled grenades.

In a statement, the al-Qassam Brigades said that although the battlefield conditions did not allow for the capture of the soldier, the fighter responsible killed him and seized his weapon. "Abraham Azulai's luck was bad, and soon, the next soldier’s fate will be better as a new prisoner," the statement read, referring to the failed capture attempt.

Footage exposes vulnerability of Israeli forces in Gaza

Al-Qassam had earlier released a video as part of its David’s Stones operation series, documenting the moment its fighters engaged an Israeli military convoy in the same area. The footage showed direct contact with Israeli troops, capturing one soldier fleeing while others appeared unprotected and unsupported during the confrontation.

#شاهد | ضمن سلسلة عمليات "حجارة داود" مشاهد من الإغارة على تجمع لجنود وآليات العدو واستهداف آليتين صهيونيتين وباقرين عسكريين ومحاولة أسر أحد الجنود في منطقة عبسان الكبيرة شرق مدينة خانيونس جنوب قطاع #غزة. pic.twitter.com/aiAoMAb8wl

— قناة الميادين (@AlMayadeenNews) July 10, 2025

The video also showed resistance fighters attempting to seize the fleeing soldier, before ultimately killing him and confiscating his weapon. Notably, the footage highlighted the absence of covering fire or any immediate response from nearby Israeli forces.

Israeli media call video a "scandal"

The footage, which quickly circulated online, was described by Israeli newspaper Yedioth Ahronoth as a “new scandal,” pointing to repeated tactical failures within the occupation army. The paper noted this marked the second time in a month that Israeli soldiers were left exposed without adequate protection or backup support.

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Drawing a comparison to the deadly incident involving the Puma armored personnel carrier, in which seven Israeli engineers were killed, Yedioth Ahronoth criticized the Israeli military’s lack of preparedness, especially as resistance fighters operated in broad daylight with cameras and heavy weaponry.

Israeli writer Zeev Rubinstein also weighed in on the footage, stating: “Hamas publishes a brutal clip from the Khan Younis bulldozer incident. At the end, the soldier’s weapon is in enemy hands, and his body nearly too.” He expressed disbelief at how al-Qassam fighters were able to move freely in the open battlefield, documenting their actions without interference, calling the scene “deeply frustrating.”

'Israel' failed to break Resistance's morale

The Islamic Resistance Movement, Hamas, affirmed on Tuesday that after 640 days of the genocidal war, the Israeli occupation has failed in its objectives to break Gaza’s morale or suppress its armed resistance.

In a statement, the movement declared that slogans of "total defeat" and "complete eradication" have collapsed in the face of Resistance tunnels and ambushes, which continue to defy the occupation's military advances.

Hamas stated that the illusion of freeing captives by force has been shattered by the Resistance’s ongoing strikes and upper hand on the battlefield, emphasizing that Gideon military vehicles were destroyed with their crews inside and that Resistance fighters continue to confront the occupation forces despite the siege and starvation policy imposed by the Israeli occupation.

The group added that "the occupation now openly admits its inability to both liberate its captives and defeat the resistance, as all its invasion routes have turned into fields of death."