by Worthy News Jerusalem Bureau Staff
(Worthy News) – Seven Israeli soldiers were killed Tuesday when their armored combat engineering vehicle was struck by an explosive device in the southern Gaza Strip city of Khan Younis–marking one of the deadliest incidents for Israeli forces in months.
According to an initial investigation by the Israel Defense Forces (IDF), a Hamas militant planted the explosive on a Puma armored vehicle operated by the 605th Combat Engineering Battalion. The blast ignited a fire that engulfed the vehicle, and all seven soldiers inside perished. Rescue helicopters and emergency crews were dispatched but were unable to save the trapped soldiers. The charred remains of the vehicle were later extracted from Gaza.
The fallen soldiers were identified as:
- Lt. Matan Shai Yashinovski, 21, of Kfar Yona
- Staff Sgt. Ronel Ben-Moshe, 20, of Rehovot
- Staff Sgt. Niv Radia, 20, of Elyakhin
- Sgt. Ronen Shapiro, 19, of Mazkeret Batya
- Sgt. Shahar Manoav, 21, of Ashkelon
- Sgt. Maayan Baruch Pearlstein, 20, of Eshhar
- Staff Sgt. Alon Davidov, 21, of Kiryat Yam
All served in the 605th Battalion.
Hamas claimed responsibility for the deadly ambush. In a separate incident nearby, two other soldiers were wounded–one seriously–when their D9 armored bulldozer came under RPG fire.
The deaths brought the number of Israeli troops killed in Gaza and along the border since ground operations began to 440. More than 860 Israeli soldiers have died since Hamas launched its surprise October 7, 2023 assault, which killed 1,200 people and saw 251 others taken hostage.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu expressed condolences, calling the fallen “heroic soldiers” who gave their lives “to defeat Hamas and free our hostages.” Defense Minister Israel Katz echoed this, praising their mission and sacrifice. President Isaac Herzog mourned the loss, writing on X that “the burden is unbearable” and offering prayers for the wounded.
The Kfar Yona Municipality, mourning Lt. Yashinovski, said it would remember “his smile, his values and his huge love for Israel.”
The incident has drawn renewed attention to the grueling conflict with Hamas, just as a 12-day war with Iran came to a halt under a fragile ceasefire.
Copyright 1999-2026 Worthy News. This article was originally published on Worthy News and was reproduced with permission.
Latest News from Worthy News
The Trump administration has finalized a sweeping reciprocal trade agreement with Taiwan, confirming a 15 percent U.S. tariff rate on Taiwanese imports while securing broad new market access and purchase commitments for American goods.
Democrats are applauding White House border czar Tom Homan’s Thursday announcement that immigration enforcement operation in Minnesota will end next week.
Democrats in the U.S. Senate tanked the Homeland Security full-year funding bill in a last-ditch vote Thursday, all but guaranteeing a partial government shutdown starting Saturday.
Mourners in a remote Canadian town grappled Thursday with the aftermath of one of the country’s deadliest school shootings in decades, as families, survivors and leaders reacted to the tragedy that left eight victims — most of them children — dead, along with the 18-year-old suspect.
A gunman who opened fire at a school in southern Thailand’s Hat Yai city on Wednesday wounded a teacher and a student before being detained, authorities said, in a rare attack that sent students and staff into panic.
The Republican-led House of Representatives has passed the Safeguard American Voter Eligibility (SAVE) America Act, advancing legislation that would require proof of citizenship to register to vote and photo identification at the polls. The bill now heads to the Senate, where its future remains uncertain amid strong Democratic opposition.
Israel’s Ministry of Defense announced on Wednesday that its advanced David’s Sling air and missile defense system has completed a series of complex modernized tests, a development officials say bolsters the country’s defensive posture as tensions with Iran escalate and the United States prepares military options that could include direct strikes.