Two months after a botched IDF raid in Gaza ended with the death of an Israeli commando officer and seven Gazans, Hamas presented a full report on the incident.
Hamas' conclusions on the firefight were given at a press conference in Gaza. Many details of the raid are forbidden from publication under orders by the IDF military censor.
At the press conference, a Hamas spokesperson claimed that the IDF commandos had entered the Gaza Strip equipped with advanced equipment and counterfeit documents. The troops had allegedly had infiltrated through rocky terrain along the Gaza Strip border under the cover of heavy fog.
According to the spokesperson, Hamas recovered control over classified devices and equipment used by the commandos that it said are a "treasure trove of information" that will provide the organization with a strategic advantage.
"They thought they were able to destroy it when they bombed the vehicles, but they did not succeed," the spokesman said.
"The Mujahideen tried to stop the members of the special force but were surprised by the shooting, and the occupation used its full force to save the force by firing indiscriminately from planes and shelling," he said.
The Hamas spokesman added that after the incident, the terror group could identify additional "Zionist forces" in the Gaza Strip. He also claimed that "Israeli forces operated in several Arab and Muslim countries" in the months preceding the raid.
The soldiers were stopped while driving in Gaza by Hamas terrorists, who decided to detain them after finding inconsistencies in their story. The undercover operatives them opened fire in order not to be taken into custody and fled while being pursued by several patrol vehicles manned by Hamas terrorists.
The IDF dispatched several unmanned aircraft which opened fire on the Hamas terrorists pursuing the Israeli agents. During the pursuit, one of the Israeli vehicles struck a wall, forcing the team members to continue on foot. An IDF helicopter later managed to land inside the Gaza Strip and evacuate the team.
Earlier reports said that the commandos were installing highly advanced surveillance gear inside Gaza, including attempts to tap Hamas' communications network. A 41-year-old Israeli lieutenant colonel, identified solely by the initial “M”, was killed in a pitched battle with Hamas terrorists deep inside the Gaza Strip, near the city of Khan Yunis.
Hamas has been intensively investigating the botched raid and has called on the public to supply any information that might help them expose more details about the highly classified unit. Last month, Hamas claimed that the classified unit was living in Gaza in a safe house under the guise of humanitarian volunteers.