GAZA (Kashmir English): Four Israeli soldiers were killed and three others were wounded in an explosion during a military operation in the southern Gaza city of Rafah.
According to the international news agency, an Israeli army spokesman said that the explosion was caused by a roadside bomb as a military convoy was passing through.
The soldiers killed in the explosion were identified as Major Omri Chai Ben Moshe, 26, Lieutenant Ron Arieli, 20, Lieutenant Eitan Avner Ben Itzhak, 22, and Ramat Yohanan, 23.
The explosion also injured three Israeli soldiers, one of whom is in critical condition, while the other two are out of danger.
According to an Israeli army spokesman, the incident occurred at 9:15 a.m. in the Jenin neighborhood of Rafah, where troops were clearing militant hideouts and a heavy D9 bulldozer was leading the convoy, with two military vehicles following behind. One of them was hit by an explosive device.
Military officials say the unit took part in three separate clashes with militants in the morning. They are also investigating whether Hamas snipers fired shots before the explosion.
An Israeli military spokesman said the soldiers who died were from the Dekel Battalion, which is part of the Bahad 1 Israeli army officer training school. The unit has been involved in operations in Gaza for the past three weeks.
It should be recalled that 1,500 people were killed in the Hamas attack on Israel on October 7, 2023, most of them military personnel.
Since then, the number of Israeli soldiers killed in the fighting with Hamas on the border or inside Gaza has reached 879.
