Israeli newspaper Yedioth Ahronoth on Friday called the footage released by Hamas’ al-Qassam Brigades, showing an ambush on Israeli troops and military vehicles east of Khan Younis, a "new scandal."

The report highlighted that this marks the second time in just one month that Israeli soldiers have been left vulnerable, with no proper fire cover or protection, at extremely close range, and no backup forces detected nearby during the operation.

The newspaper emphasized what it deemed a recurring field security failure, as the footage revealed the al-Qassam fighters openly maneuvering in daylight near military vehicles engaged in demolition operations while Israeli soldiers and their weapons remained unprotected. This mirrored the earlier "Puma" armored carrier incident that left seven engineering unit troops dead.

The newspaper reacted furiously, demanding, "How can they leave an engineering vehicle completely unprotected? An RPG could destroy it from this distance. Where are the safety protocols?" The report slammed the incident as demonstrating "gross leadership failures and a shocking indifference toward troop safety."

The report also pointed to a concerning development, revealing that the army has had to supplement its forces with rented civilian vehicles and bulldozers from military contractors. This stopgap measure comes as the military's armored vehicles have been steadily degraded since the start of the war on Gaza on October 7, leaving troops with alarmingly few protected transport options.

Operation David's Stones dismantles Israeli military might

Hamas' armed wing, the al-Qassam Brigades, yesterday published combat footage from its series of Operation David's Stones showing fighters attacking an Israeli military convoy in eastern Khan Younis' al-Abasan area.

The video captures strikes against troops and heavy machinery, including bulldozers and combat engineering vehicles operating in the southern Gaza Strip.

#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 footage also captures a close-quarters daytime engagement that shows an Israeli soldier fleeing the battlefield amid a complete absence of covering fire from other Israeli forces, while the al-Qassam fighters attempted to capture the soldier before ultimately killing him and seizing his weapon.

'Israel' fails at the intelligence, security levels

Israeli news sources slammed the video as exposing an "intelligence disaster", pointing to the footage of a soldier running from the firefight, while the al-Qassam fighters chased him, starkly contradicting the army's official version of events.

Israeli media outlets noted that the footage released by the al-Qassam Brigades served as a direct battlefield refutation of the military's official account, which had attempted to downplay both the scale of the operation and its casualties, with analysts suggesting the incident dealt a "devastating blow" to confidence in the army's field leadership.

In the same context, Israeli commentator Ze'ev Rubinstein reacted to the footage by stating, "Hamas has released brutal footage from the Khan Younis bulldozer incident, showing the soldier's weapon ending up in enemy hands at the end, with his body narrowly avoiding capture as well."

Rubinstein expressed shock at how the al-Qassam fighters managed to "operate with such freedom in the field while armed and equipped with recording cameras," describing the entire situation as "deeply demoralizing".