Israel Defense Forces published footage Monday of their soldiers shooting dead a Hamas fighter after he chucked a grenade and rushed at the soldiers with a knife.
The fatal confrontation between the IDF paratroopers and the Hamas fighter occurred in the southern part of the Gaza Strip, The Times of Israel reported. (RELATED: Despite Potential Violent Backlash, Large Crowd Speaks Out Against Hamas By Protesting In Gaza)
The clip opens with the soldiers shooting at an unknown target off-screen when a grenade suddenly explodes near them.
Incredible footage of enemy elimination from behind. 💪🏻pic.twitter.com/QGZujRw6ju
— The Mossad: Satirical, Yet Awesome (@TheMossadIL) February 5, 2024
The camera then turns to a figure rushing at the soldiers with what appears to be a knife. The soldiers quickly open up on the figure and fire several rounds of bullets into the figure even after he drops to the ground. One soldier can be heard swearing before he asks, “Where did he [the Hamas fighter] come from?” “From over there,” the soldier who has the camera responds, pointing toward the mound of dirt where the figure emerged.
The IDF reported that the Hamas operative also had another grenade on his person when he was killed and that none of their own soldiers were wounded in the exchange, according to The Times of Israel.
An edited version of the exchange blurs out the figure of the Hamas fighter and points out the moment of the grenade explosion. It also contains a clear photo of the knife wielded by the Hamas militant that was not captured in the clip.
The IDF releases footage from an incident in southern Gaza over the weekend, in which a Hamas operative hurled a grenade and rushed at troops with a knife.
The clip shows soldiers of the Paratroopers Brigade shooting at an unknown target amid an operation near the home of the… pic.twitter.com/diryN1rwoE
— Emanuel (Mannie) Fabian (@manniefabian) February 5, 2024
This interaction took place near the home of the commander of Hamas’ Khan Yunis brigade, The Times of Israel noted. Khan Yunis has been the scene of intense fighting between the IDF and Hamas. The IDF has speculated that Hamas’ senior leadership, including its chief Yahya Sinwar, may be hiding underneath the maze of Khan Yunis’s vast network of tunnels.
