Breathless bodycam footage has revealed the moment an Israeli reservist fought off two Hamas gunmen in a lethal close quarters gunfight that unfolded in the hallways of a building in Gaza City.
The adrenaline-filled clip shows how the soldier from the Yalam unit of Israel’s Combat Engineering Corps was confronted by Hamas fighters as he stalked through the structure in the city’s Shajaiya neighbourhood.
Entering a room whose door had been blown off its hinges, the soldier at first appears to be alone – but the moment of calm is immediately shattered as a pair of Hamas gunmen appear from the rubble and begin shooting.
The reservist reacts at unbelievable speed, leaping back into the hallway for cover before peeking round the corner and blasting one terrorist from mere feet away.
Taking cover again, the soldier pauses for a moment of rest.
But seconds later, he is blown off his feet by the brutal blast of a grenade hurled into the hallway by his foe.
The IDF reservist is seen blasting a Hamas gunman from less than 10 feet
The body of the first Hamas gunman is seen splayed out on the ground
The IDF soldier returns to the hallway to recover before a grenade is thrown by the second Hamas gunman
The explosion blasts the IDF reservist off his feet but he somehow miraculously survived
The IDF soldier surged back into the room, rounded a corner and faced down with the second terrorist
For a split second it looked as though the savage explosion may have incapacitated the fearless soldier.
But he heroically dragged himself to his feet, waded through the debris and forced himself back into the room to hunt down the one remaining Hamas fighter.
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As he turned a corner, the terrorist appeared at the top of a staircase and squeezed off a single shot from his pistol, but missed.
His lack of marksmanship proved fatal.
The Israeli reservist immediately returned fire, pumping five rounds of hot lead into the Hamas attacker from near-point-blank range and sending him crumpling to the floor.
The stunning footage underscores the intensity of the fighting between the IDF and Hamas fighters in Gaza.
The Israeli army said Wednesday that 115 soldiers have been killed so far in its offensive in the Gaza Strip.
It said 10 soldiers died in fighting in the north of the territory on Tuesday, the deadliest day for the military since the ground assault began on October 27.
But now Israel is facing mounting pressure from its allies over its war in Gaza, with key backer – the United States – criticising its bombing in response to the October 7 attacks as ‘indiscriminate’.
The United Nations General Assembly also overwhelmingly backed a non-binding resolution yesterday that demanded an immediate humanitarian ceasefire in the devastated territory.
The war began after Hamas militants launched an unprecedented attack on Israel on October 7 that killed around 1,200 people, mostly civilians, and saw around 240 hostages taken, according to Israeli authorities.
Vowing to destroy Hamas and to bring the hostages home, Israel launched a withering offensive on Gaza, which is ruled by the militant group.
According to the Hamas-run health ministry, the war has killed more than 18,400 people, mostly women and children.
The ministry reported Wednesday that at least another 50 people were killed in the latest wave of Israeli air strikes across the territory.
Biden told a campaign event in Washington that Israel had ‘most of the world supporting it’ after the Hamas attack.
‘But they’re starting to lose that support by the indiscriminate bombing that takes place,’ he said.
Israeli soldiers operate at the Shajaiya district of Gaza city amid the ongoing conflict between Israel and the Palestinian Islamist group Hamas, in the Gaza Strip December 8, 2023
Israeli soldiers operate with a tank at the Shajaiya district of Gaza city amid the ongoing conflict between Israel and the Palestinian Islamist group Hamas, in the Gaza Strip December 8, 2023
Israeli soldiers operate at the Shajaiya district of Gaza city amid the ongoing conflict between Israel and the Palestinian Islamist group Hamas, in the Gaza Strip December 8, 2023
A view of the damaged area after Israeli air strikes on December 12, 2023 in Rafah, Gaza
A picture taken from Rafah shows smoke billowing over Khan Yunis in the southern Gaza Strip during an Israeli strike on December 11, 2023
Washington has been calling for weeks for Israel to take more care to avoid civilian casualties in Gaza, saying that too many Palestinians have been killed.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu also said there was ‘disagreement’ with Biden over how a post-conflict Gaza would be governed, reflecting a rare rift between the allies.
And the leaders of , Canada and New Zealand – other Israel allies – called for a ceasefire, issuing a rare joint statement to say they were ‘alarmed at the diminishing safe space for civilians in Gaza’.
Their statement came after the UN General Assembly passed a resolution Tuesday demanding a ceasefire, with an overwhelming 153 member nations of 193 voting in favour.
While the United States and Israel voted against the resolution, , Canada, New Zealand all voted in favour.
The vote came as the head of the UN agency for Palestinian refugees Philippe Lazzarini described the situation in Gaza as ‘hell on earth’.
‘Back in #Gaza, endless deepening tragedy. People are everywhere, live in the street, need everything. They plead for safety & for an end to this hell on earth,’ Lazzarini posted on X at the end of a visit to the territory.
Meanwhile, fears of a wider conflict continue to grow, with Iran-backed groups targeting US and allied forces in Iraq and Syria, and daily exchanges of fire along Israel’s border with Lebanon.
The Israeli army said projectiles had been fired from Lebanon and Syria on Tuesday and it had retaliated by striking launch sites.