Battle of Sufa | |||||||
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Part of 2023 Israel–Hamas war | |||||||
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Belligerents | |||||||
Hamas | Israel | ||||||
Units involved | |||||||
Izz ad-Din al-Qassam Brigades | Israel |
On October 7, 2023, as part of the Hamas-led Operation Al-Aqsa Flood, militants overran an IDF outpost in the village of Sufa, which borders the Gaza Strip.[4][5]
On October 7, 2023, Hamas launched a surprise attack on Israel at approximately 6 a.m., firing rockets and conducting a major ground and air assault against Israeli targets around the Gaza Strip, engaging civilians and military personnel alike.[6][7][8]
Immediately after the beginning of the ground incursion, militants entered the kibbutz of Sufa, only facing resistance from a group five armed civilians with no support from the military.[4] Later in the morning, Hamas released a video of their militants taking over a military outpost located near Sufa, showing the bodies of Israeli soldiers they had killed.[9] After the outpost was overrun, some of the Golani Brigade soldiers stationed there evaded being captured or killed by hiding inside a bunker on the base.[1]
Shortly after the initial assault by Hamas, Shayetet 13 was ordered to retake the outpost and work in conjunction with other units in the area to rescue hostages and regain control.[1]
The Israeli naval commandos were inserted by helicopter, and after a skirmish with Hamas militants, successfully regained control of the outpost and took care of the wounded.[2][3]
Main article: 2023 Israeli female tank crew fight |
The battle included one all female tank battalion which received wide publicity from pro-Israeli military porpagandists. [citation needed]
See also: 2023 Hamas-led attack on Israel |
The attacks on 7 October included both civilian and military targets, but the stories told by the different sides of the war show very little overlap.
The Baring Witness (2023 film) attempted to depict the day's events as primary, or solely, an attack on civilians.
Whereas, in the edited propaganda videos posted to their Telegram chanel and website, Hamas's Al-Qassam Brigades attempted to depict the operation as primary, or solely, focused on the destruction of the border fence and other military targets. In the months leading up to 7 October, Al-Qassam posted video of themselves and some of their allies training for the attacks, against military and ambiguous targets. https://apnews.com/article/israel-palestinian-war-hamas-attack-border-wall-aa0b0f5f3613b6c6882cf37168e8e8ed