At least five soldiers of the Israel Defence Forces (IDF) were killed and 14 others were injured after a roadside bomb exploded in the northern Gaza Strip on Monday, media reports said.
The slain soldiers were identified as Staff Sgt. Meir Shimon Amar, 20, from Jerusalem, Sgt. Moshe Nissim Frech, 20, from Jerusalem, Staff Sgt. Noam Aharon Musgadian, 20, from Jerusalem, Staff Sgt. Moshe Shmuel Noll, 21, from Beit Shemesh, Sgt. First Class (res.) Benyamin Asulin, 28, from Haifa.
According to reports, Amar, Frech, Musgadian, and Noll served in the Kfir Brigade’s Netzah Yehuda Battalion.
Asulin was serving in the Gaza Division’s Northern Brigade.
According to an initial IDF probe, the infantry soldiers were hit by a bomb planted by terror operatives on the side of a road shortly after 10 p.m. during ground operations in Beit Hanoun, The Times of Israel reported.
At the time of the blast, the soldiers were operating on foot and were not present inside the vehicle.
Forces Came Under Attack
When attempts were made to extract the casualties, the forces reportedly came under fire.
The condition of two members, out of the fourteen, is said to be critical.
The war in Gaza began after Hamas attacked northern Israel and left 1200 people dead, while 251 people were taken away as hostage.
Around 50 hostages are still held in Hamas captivity.
Intensifying Operations
The Israel Defence Forces (IDF) have significantly intensified their ground operations in northern Gaza, signalling a renewed phase in the ongoing military campaign against Hamas.
In recent days, armoured units, infantry, and combat engineers have advanced deeper into densely populated neighbourhoods, targeting what the IDF claims are key militant infrastructure sites, tunnel networks, and weapons caches.
Heavy fighting has been reported in and around Gaza City, with Israeli troops encountering stiff resistance from Hamas fighters using guerrilla tactics, improvised explosives, and sniper fire.
The IDF stated that it has destroyed several command centres and neutralised dozens of militants in coordinated air and ground strikes.
(With inputs from IBNS)
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