Chilling new video captures Israeli troops coming face-to-face with a Hamas terrorist as he throws a grenade at them before being taken out.
The footage, uploaded Monday from southern Gaza, shows Israel Defense Forces soldiers first firing at Hamas’ Khan Younis Brigade outside the home of its commander.
During the gunfire, a grenade then suddenly explodes near the Jewish soldiers, who turn to find a Hamas operative just a few feet away from them, running and appearing ready to lob another handheld bomb at them.
But the IDF soldiers are quickly able to take out the gunman, whose body tumbles in a dirt mound the troops had been taking cover around.
An inspection of the body revealed that the terrorist was carrying a knife and more grenades, Israel said.
The IDF said none of the soldiers who had the close encounter with the militant were injured.
The assault on the Khan Younis Brigade comes as Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu touted the IDF’s advancement in Gaza on Monday, claiming that 75% of Hamas’ battalions there have been destroyed so far, the Times of Israel reports.
“We are on the path to total victory,” Netanyahu said during an event with the IDF’s 8104 Battalion. “We are committed to it, and we will not give it up.
“We will not end the war without achieving this goal of total victory, which will restore security to both the south and the north,” he added.
The prime minister estimated during a recent war cabinet meeting that 18 of Hamas 24 battalions have been destroyed since the war began, with officials noting that some 10,000 terrorists have been killed so far.
The estimate comes as the death toll in Gaza surpassed 27,000 over the weekend, according to the Hamas-run Ministry of Health, which does not differentiate between civilians and terrorists.
The accuracy of Israel’s Hamas death count remains unverified, as two weeks ago, US intelligence officials told the Wall Street Journal that only 20% to 30% of the group in Gaza had been killed.
Netanyahu noted that as the IDF advances to wipe out Hamas, Israel’s troops are also working to take out the terrorists’ 300-mile long tunnel network that allows the group to hide and launch counterattacks.
“This demands more time yet,” Netanyahu told his ministers about the need to secure Gaza.
With Post wires