At least 18 Hamas operatives launched a coordinated assault on an Israel Defense Forces (IDF) encampment in southern Gaza on Wednesday morning, injuring three soldiers, according to the IDF.
The attack began around 9 a.m., when operatives emerged from a tunnel in Khan Younis and advanced toward the outpost, while firing machine guns and anti-tank weapons, according to the IDF. Some gunmen managed to breach the base, where they exchanged fire with troops from the Kfir Brigade’s Nahshon Battalion.
Footage released by the IDF showed airstrikes and a tank from the 74th Armored Battalion ramming a Hamas operative attempting to fire an RPG. The operative was killed before launching the attack.
Footage from this morning’s Hamas assault on an IDF base in Khan Younis, southern Gaza, captures a 74th Armored Battalion tank ramming into an RPG-armed militant. pic.twitter.com/QZkLISxglX
— Open Source Intel (@Osint613) August 20, 2025
IDF spokesperson Brig. Gen. Effie Defrin said the IDF repelled the Hamas assault. At least 10 Hamas fighters were killed in close combat and airstrikes, eight others escaped back into the tunnel system. “We are investigating how this occurred, and will draw the necessary conclusions,” Defrin added.
בקרבות פנים אל פנים: לוחמי חטיבת כפיר חיסלו כעשרה מחבלים לאחר שביצעו ירי לעברם
מוקדם יותר היום, יותר מ-15 מחבלים ביצעו התקפה משולבת של ירי מקלעים ונ״ט, ומספר מחבלים חדרו למגנן של כוחות מגדוד נחשון של חטיבת כפיר במרחב ח׳אן יונס.
במהלך האירוע, לוחמי החטיבה הצליחו לחסל כ-10 מחבלים… pic.twitter.com/ROGLPWMavY— צבא ההגנה לישראל (@idfonline) August 20, 2025
תיעוד מיוחד מהקרב של לוחמי צוות הקרב החטיבתי כפיר בחאן יונס pic.twitter.com/hJJdLnoUne
— צבא ההגנה לישראל (@idfonline) August 20, 2025
Hamas’s armed wing, the Al-Qassam Brigades claimed responsibility for the attack, claiming its fighters “stormed” the Israeli base and used sniper fire to “fatally wound” a tank commander. The group added that “one of the martyrs detonated himself among the soldiers, leaving them dead and wounded.” The IDF, however, has not reported any soldier fatalities.
The raid came as Israel launched an offensive aimed at seizing Gaza City. Earlier this week, Reuters reported that Hamas had accepted a 60-day ceasefire proposal with Israel that would see half the hostages held in Gaza released in exchange for some Palestinian prisoners.
Senior Hamas official Basem Naim confirmed the group’s approval in a Facebook post. Israel has not issued a formal response, but an Israeli official told Reuters that the proposal had been received.
