Seven Israeli soldiers, aged between 19 and 21, were killed in a deadly IED attack carried out by Hamas in Khan Younis, southern Gaza, on Tuesday. The incident marks one of the most significant losses for Israeli ground forces in recent months.
The soldiers, all members of the 605th Combat Engineering Battalion under the Barak Division (188), were traveling in an armored personnel carrier (APC) during combat operations when a militant reportedly attached an explosive device to the vehicle. The resulting blast caused the APC to catch fire and ultimately destroyed it.
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The explosion occurred around 5:30 p.m. while the unit was conducting an engineering advance to clear the area. Firefighting teams responded swiftly, deploying a D-9 bulldozer to cover the burning vehicle with sand in an attempt to extinguish the flames. Despite their efforts, the vehicle had to be towed back to Israeli territory with the deceased soldiers inside. Emergency helicopters were also dispatched to assist.
The remains of the soldiers were identified after forensic examination. The Israeli military released the names of six of the fallen after notifying their families, while one name remains withheld pending identification and family notification.
Those identified include:
- Lieutenant Matan Shai Yashinovski (21), Kfar Yona – Platoon commander
- Staff Sergeant Ronel Ben-Moshe (20), Rehovot – Combat engineer
- Staff Sergeant Niv Radia (20), Eliakhin – Combat engineer
- Sergeant Ronen Shapiro (19), Mazkeret Batya – Combat engineer
- Sergeant Shahar Manoav (21), Ashkelon – Combat engineer
- Sergeant Maayan Baruch Pearlstein (20), Aschar – Combat engineer
The Israeli Defense Forces are continuing their investigation into the attack while paying tribute to the young soldiers who lost their lives.
