The IDF says it was a "failure" that Hamas gunmen managed to breach into an army encampment

The IDF says it was a "failure" that Hamas gunmen managed to breach into an army encampment — including into a building where troops were stationed — in southern Gaza's Khan Younis yesterday, despite the soldiers managing to fight back and successfully repel the attack.

According to an updated IDF probe of the incident, the Hamas operatives emerged from a tunnel some 40-50 meters from the military post, which served troops of the Kfir Infantry Brigade, as well as the 74th Armored Battalion.

The tunnel had been known to the military, and part of it had been demolished previously.

The gunmen split into three groups, with one stationed on a dirt mound for suppressive fire, the second heading into a building in the encampment that was not occupied by any soldiers, and the third attacking a building that had soldiers stationed in it.

Two Hamas gunmen breached the building where the troops were stationed, and they exchanged fire for around five minutes. Fighting also took place outside the building with additional gunmen from the same group.

At least one of the gunmen was killed by the soldiers in the building, while the other fled and was killed outside, according to the IDF's probe.

Three soldiers were injured in this exchange of fire, including one seriously and two lightly. The seriously wounded soldier's condition has since improved.

Meanwhile, a tank of the 74th Battalion shelled the empty building that the gunmen had entered, after spotting RPG fire from it, killing at least two of them there.

A different tank spotted a Hamas operative inside the encampment who was preparing to fire an RPG, and rammed into him. Another operative was killed by the tanks nearby, and around three hours later — long after the main part of the fighting had ended — another gunman was spotted trying to flee and was killed by the armored forces.

Fighting inside the encampment lasted for no longer than 10 minutes before the gunmen began attempting to flee back to the tunnel, according to the IDF's probe. Israeli Air Force drones and helicopters were also dispatched and struck the fleeing gunmen.

In all, between six and eight Hamas gunmen were killed inside the post and in the area surrounding it, and another four to seven operatives — who had been launching mortars — were eliminated on the outskirts. Around eight gunmen managed to flee back to the tunnel, the IDF probe finds.

The IDF found that the gunmen were well-armed, with assault rifles, RPGs, grenades, and explosive devices. The military also found a stretcher left behind by the operatives inside the empty building, which it estimated was intended to be used to kidnap a wounded Israeli soldier.

Despite successfully repelling the attack, the military says it was a failure that the gunmen managed to infiltrate the encampment without being noticed. The IDF describes it as a "complex event," but the "bravery, determination, and initiative of the troops," combined with support from the Israeli Air Force, managed to turn the tables.

The chief of the Southern Command, Maj. Gen. Yaniv Asor toured the site yesterday with senior officers, where he conducted an initial debriefing. The IDF says Asor praised the troops' actions, while pointing out "gaps that emerged… from which lessons must be learned and implemented quickly, in light of Hamas's attempts to harm our forces."