Eight Israeli soldiers were tragically killed in an explosion in Rafah, located in the southern Gaza Strip. This incident marks the heaviest toll for the IDF in the enclave since January. The army of the Jewish State has so far only identified one soldier, 23-year-old Captain Wassem Mahmoud. The families of the other seven soldiers have been informed and their names will be released later.
Initial investigations by the IDF indicate that the soldiers were killed inside a Namer armored vehicle around 5am following an overnight offensive against Hamas in the northwestern areas of Rafah’s Tel Sultan neighborhood. During this offensive, troops from the 401st Armored Brigade were engaged in combat with around 50 gunmen. The Namer was the fifth or sixth vehicle in the convoy and was struck by a large explosion. It is not clear whether the explosion was caused by a bomb planted on the road or if Hamas operatives placed an explosive device directly on the vehicle.
The death toll in the Gaza Strip continues to rise, with the Hamas Ministry of Health reporting at least 37,296 dead and 85,197 injured since the start of the Israeli military operation in response to the October 7 attack. In the last 24 hours alone, there have been 30 deaths and 95 injuries reported.
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