The Tel al-Sultan ambush occurred on 15 June 2024, when members of the armed wing of Hamas, the Izz ad-Din al-Qassam Brigades, ambushed an Israeli convoy near the Tel al-Sultan refugee camp, west of Rafah in the Gaza Strip.
Background.
On 6 May, Israeli forces launched a military offensive in and around the city of Rafah. Before and during the initial phase of the operation, Israeli forces conducted at least 50 airstrikes targeting the area.
On 26 May, an Israeli airstrike in Rafah resulted in the deaths of 45 Palestinians. According to Israeli authorities, the strike targeted a Hamas installation. The attack triggered a fire in the Tel al-Sultan refugee camp, where dozens of refugees were sheltered.
Ambush.
At around 05:15 local time, during an overnight offensive in Tal al-Sultan, a Namer armored personnel carrier, which had been involved in the operation, was returning with the rest of the force to captured buildings to allow troops to rest. Hamas first targeted a Caterpillar D9 armored bulldozer with an Al-Yassin 105 anti-armor missile, setting it on fire and causing injuries and fatalities among its crew. Following this, Hamas fired another Al-Yassin 105 missile at the Namer, which was the fifth or sixth vehicle in the convoy. Initially, it was believed that the Namer may have hit a land mine or that an explosive device had been placed on it. The Namer was ultimately destroyed by the missile, and its crew was killed. It burned for about two hours after the ambush, before being towed to a safe location.