Report: Qassam tactics turn Israeli soldiers into “sitting ducks;” real solution is to end the war

Israel’s Maariv newspaper published a stark warning on Tuesday from its military correspondent Avi Ashkenazi, who said the new combat tactics employed by the Qassam Brigades, the armed wing of Hamas, have turned Israeli soldiers into “ducks in a shooting range.”

Ashkenazi argued that developments in Gaza expose the Israeli army’s failure to learn from past mistakes or adapt to guerrilla warfare. He criticised Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s government for boasting of “illusory achievements” while lacking any genuine strategic vision, stressing that the only real answer is to end the war immediately to prevent greater losses.

According to Ashkenazi, Hamas has shifted its strategy to target soldiers rather than tanks, recognising the limits of directly confronting Israel’s advanced military technology. The tactic, he explained, involves first targeting the tank commander by sniper fire or close-range gunfire, followed by fighters throwing explosive devices inside the tank to kill the crew. “This has already happened five times in Gaza,” he noted.

He added that Israeli forces returning from missions in Gaza City, particularly in northern neighbourhoods, often find themselves in purely defensive positions. When convoys slow down or halt, they become easy targets for ambushes. “They are good planners; we saw that in Khan Yunis and elsewhere, while the army keeps failing to draw lessons,” Ashkenazi said.

Billions of shekels have been poured into armour and defence systems, yet, Ashkenazi concluded, the results are grim: “Instead of being the initiators, we invest in protection. And in the end, what happens happens. We are like sitting ducks in a shooting range.”

READ: Hamas says 5 members killed in Israeli strike on Qatari capital, negotiating team survived