15 Hamas terrorists were killed, but all IDF soldiers survived.
By Hezy Laing
The surprise Hamas attack on an IDF outpost in Khan Yunis on August 20, 2025, has been described by the soldiers there as nothing short of miraculous.
In what the IDF later acknowledged as a tactical failure, Hamas operatives managed to breach a military encampment in southern Gaza, emerging from a tunnel just 40–50 meters from the post.
The tunnel had previously been partially demolished, but the attackers exploited the remaining infrastructure to dig a new shaft and launch their assault.
The outpost housed troops from the Kfir Infantry Brigade and the 74th Battalion of the 188th Armored Brigade.
Hamas split into three groups—one provided suppressive fire, another entered a building, and the third attacked a building where a platoon of soldiers was stationed.
The targeted building had just been vacated by a large group of soldiers, and its emptiness likely prevented a massacre.
One soldier noted, “If the building was manned, they would have killed soldiers and tried to kidnap one,” pointing to an abandoned stretcher as evidence of a planned abduction
The platoon commander, upon hearing suspicious noises, rushed outside and came under fire.
He quickly retreated, woke the sleeping soldiers, and organized a defense inside the building.
In a fierce five-minute firefight, two Hamas gunmen breached the building, throwing grenades and firing at close range.
The IDF soldiers returned fire, killing one attacker inside and another outside.
The terrorists threw a total of eight grenades into the outpost, but incredibly, only two detonated.
Despite the intensity of the assault, only three Israeli soldiers were wounded, one seriously.
The IDF responded swiftly with tanks and air support, ultimately killing around 15 Hamas operatives.
One tank even ran over a terrorist preparing to fire an RPG, a rare and dramatic moment that echoed scenes from the October 7 attacks.
The IDF later admitted that the post had been monitored only by electronic surveillance, with no human lookouts covering the approach.
Hamas had destroyed the cameras before the attack, exploiting a blind spot in the defense.
The incident has sparked internal reviews and raised questions about the IDF’s readiness and tunnel detection capabilities, especially after 22 months of war.
For the soldiers who survived, the outcome felt like Divine intervention.
“A miracle saved us,” one officer said, reflecting the narrow escape and the rapid response that prevented a potential massacre or abduction.
The event has become a stark reminder of the unpredictable nature of warfare in Gaza and the enduring threat posed by Hamas’s tunnel networks.
