The Izz ad-Din al-Qassam Brigades, the military wing of the Islamic Resistance Movement (Hamas), broadcast footage documenting a complex ambush against Israeli occupation forces in the city of Rafah, south of the Gaza Strip, as part of the "Gates of Hell" series of operations. pic.twitter.com/m5TigNDNdt
— Combat Archive (@Zoma3mk) September 25, 2025
The videos of a Hamas ambush that led to the killing of two Israel Defence Force (IDF) soldiers in Gaza City's Rafah in May have gone viral on the internet. It shows moments before Hamas guerrillas detonated an explosive device that claimed the lives of Captain Noam Ravid and Staff Sergeant Yali Seror on Saturday, May 3.
Attached to the Yahalom special operations forces unit of the Israeli Combat Engineering Corps, 23-year-old Ravid and 20-year-old Seror were engaged in scanning a building in the afternoon when an explosion killed them. They entered the building based on intel that claimed to have spotted a Hamas tunnel shaft. However, the building was booby-trapped by the enemy already.
The video shows Hamas fighters firing rogue shots inside the ruins of what looks to be a multi-storey building. After firing a few random shots from their assault rifles, they hide beneath the floor -- sneaking through a gap. They are watching what is happening above them through a camera, the video released by the Hamas media cell shows. The wild shots were a bait to lure IDF personnel to the booby-trapped floor.
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We see a military dog sniffing around the room before at least four Israeli soldiers make their way up. Neither the dog nor the soldiers manage to spot the explosives or the enemy in the area. The video then switches back to the Hamas operatives, who detonate the explosives in the room, chanting "Allahu Akbar."
According to the Jerusalem Post, a third soldier who was with Captain Noam Ravid and Staff Sergeant Yali Seror was seriously injured in the incident. While Ravid hailed from the Israeli settlement of Sha’arei Tikva in the West Bank, Seror was native to Omer in the Southern District of Israel.
Gaza peace deal
In recent weeks, 28 Western-aligned countries that circled behind Israel two years ago have called on it to end the offensive in Gaza. They also criticised Israel's restrictions on humanitarian aid, which have contributed to famine in parts of Gaza.
Ten countries including Britain, France, Canada and Australia recognised Palestinian statehood last week, hoping to revive the long-moribund peace process.
Several Arab states, including some with long-standing relations with Israel, have accused it of committing genocide in Gaza, as have leading genocide scholars, UN experts and some Israeli and international rights groups. The UN's highest court is weighing genocide allegations raised by South Africa that Israel vehemently denies.
