Eight Israeli soldiers were killed in an explosion in Rafah, southern Gaza Strip, on Saturday morning, the military announced. This incident marks the deadliest for the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) in the enclave since January.
As of Saturday afternoon, only one of the soldiers had been named: Cpt. Wassem Mahmoud, 23, a deputy company commander in the Combat Engineering Corps’ 601st Battalion, from Beit Jann. The families of the other seven soldiers have been notified, and their names were to be released later.
An initial IDF investigation revealed that the soldiers were inside a Namer armored combat engineering vehicle (CEV) when the explosion occurred. The troops were part of a convoy driving around 5 a.m. following an overnight offensive against Hamas in Rafah’s Tel Sultan neighborhood, where IDF forces reportedly killed around 50 gunmen.
The Namer CEV, positioned fifth or sixth in the convoy, was struck by a significant blast. It remains unclear if the explosion was caused by a pre-planted bomb or if Hamas operatives placed an explosive device directly on the vehicle. The possibility that the CEV was hit by an anti-tank missile is also being investigated.
Additionally, the IDF is examining whether explosives stored on the CEV contributed to the blast. Typically, mines and other explosives stored outside the CEV would not injure the troops inside if detonated. There was no gunfire, and the vehicle was moving when the blast occurred. The disabled CEV was later towed to a safe location.
Following the incident, a team of experts from the Defense Ministry and IDF will examine the armored vehicle and all details of the event until conclusive findings are reached, according to IDF Spokesman Rear Adm. Daniel Hagari.
This incident brings the total number of IDF soldiers killed in the ongoing ground offensive against Hamas and other operations along the Gaza border to 307. Additionally, a police officer was killed in a recent hostage rescue operation, and a civilian Defense Ministry contractor has also been killed in Gaza.
In January, the deadliest incident for the IDF in Gaza occurred when 21 soldiers were killed in an explosion following Hamas RPG fire that collapsed two buildings.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu expressed his deep sorrow for the soldiers’ deaths, emphasizing the necessity to continue with the war objectives despite the heavy losses. Defense Minister Yoav Gallant also conveyed his condolences, expressing great pain and sympathy for the families of the fallen soldiers.