Seven Israeli soldiers were blown up by a Hamas terrorist in one of the deadliest attacks on its armed forces in Gaza in months, the Jewish state announced Wednesday.
The soldiers were on patrol Tuesday in the southern city of Khan Younis when the terrorist attached a bomb to their armored vehicle, according to the Israel Defense Forces (IDF).
“Helicopters and rescue forces were sent to the spot. They made attempts to rescue the fighters, but without success,” IDF spokesman Brig. Gen. Effie Defrin said.
The soldiers were named on Wednesday as Lt. Matan Shai Yashinovski, 21; Staff Sgt. Ronel Ben-Moshe, 20; Staff Sgt. Niv Radia, 20; Sgt. Ronen Shapiro, 19; Sgt. Shahar Manoav, 21; Sgt. Maayan Baruch Pearlstein, 20; and Staff Sgt. Alon Davidov, 21.
Hamas has claimed responsibility for the attack.
The terrorist planted a bomb on the soldiers’ Puma armored combat engineering vehicle while they were driving through the city, according to an IDF probe reported by the Times of Israel.
The blast set the vehicle on fire and all seven soldiers were killed in the blaze, according to the IDF.
The charred remains of the vehicle were later towed out of Gaza.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu offered his condolences over the deaths, which brought the total number of Israeli soldiers killed since the start of the current conflict in Gaza to 860.
The “heroic soldiers fell in the battle to defeat Hamas and free our hostages in the southern Gaza Strip,” the leader said.
“On my behalf and on behalf of the citizens of Israel, I send my deepest condolences to the families who lost their dearest loved ones, and I share with them in their unbearable grief at this difficult time,” he said.
Two other Israeli soldiers were wounded, one seriously, in a separate incident in the Khan Younis area on Tuesday, when an RPG was fired at an armored bulldozer they were operating, the Times of Israel reported.
Hamas later claimed it had ambushed the soldiers as they took cover inside a residential building in the area, in a statement on its Telegram channel.
Israel continues to state it only targets militants, and blames Hamas for sheltering in civilian areas.
