Five Israeli soldiers were killed and 14 others wounded late Monday night during an Israel Defense Forces (IDF) ground operation in Beit Hanoun, a town in the northern Gaza Strip, when a roadside bomb exploded as infantry troops from the Netzah Yehuda Battalion advanced on foot. The troops were struck around 10 p.m., and medical teams who entered the area to treat the wounded came under fire, sustaining additional casualties, the military said.
The fallen soldiers were identified as Staff Sgt. Meir Shimon Amar, Sgt. Moshe Nissim Frech, Staff Sgt. Noam Aharon Musgadian and Staff Sgt. Moshe Shmuel Noll, all members of the ultra-Orthodox Netzah Yehuda Battalion of the Kfir Brigade, as well as Sgt. 1st Class (res.) Benyamin Asulin, who served in the Gaza Division’s Northern Brigade.
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According to an initial investigation by the IDF, the soldiers were not inside vehicles when the improvised explosive device detonated. The explosion occurred during a renewed Israeli military campaign in Beit Hanoun that began on Saturday. The current operation involves coordination between the Netzah Yehuda Battalion and the 646th Reserve Paratroopers Brigade, targeting fighters reportedly hiding in the area. The Israeli military has taken control of roughly 70% of Gaza’s territory but faces persistent resistance from Hamas.
In response to the incident, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, speaking from Washington, said, “On this difficult morning, the entire people of Israel bow their heads and mourn the deaths of our heroic fighters, who sacrificed their lives in the campaign to defeat Hamas and free all of our hostages.” Defense Minister Israel Katz praised the soldiers for their bravery, while President Isaac Herzog emphasized the need to learn from the tragedy to better safeguard troops.
Since the outbreak of the war following the October 7, 2023, Hamas attack that killed about 1,200 people and saw 251 taken hostage, 449 Israeli soldiers have died in ground operations in Gaza and along its borders.