Seven Israeli combat engineers were killed on Tuesday in one of the deadliest attacks on Israeli ground forces in recent months, after a powerful improvised explosive device (IED) was detonated against their armored personnel carrier (APC) during operations in Khan Younis, southern Gaza.
According to the Israel Defense Forces (IDF), the incident occurred at approximately 5:30 p.m. during a combat engineering mission aimed at clearing the area. A terrorist reportedly approached the APC and attached an explosive device, triggering a massive fire that engulfed the vehicle.
The seven soldiers, aged between 19 and 21, were members of the 605th Combat Engineering Battalion, operating under the Barak (188th) Armored Division. One of the fallen was a platoon commander.
Firefighting teams were dispatched immediately and worked to extinguish the blaze using a D-9 bulldozer that poured sand over the burning vehicle. Despite their efforts, the APC was completely destroyed. The vehicle had to be towed back into Israeli territory with the bodies of the soldiers inside, where forensic examinations were carried out.
On Wednesday morning, the IDF cleared for publication the names of six of the fallen soldiers, after notifying their families:
- Lieutenant Matan Shai Yashinovski, 21, from Kfar Yona – Platoon commander in the 605th Battalion
- Staff Sergeant Ronel Ben-Moshe, 20, from Rehovot – Combat engineer
- Staff Sergeant Niv Radia, 20, from Eliakhin – Combat engineer
- Sergeant Ronen Shapiro, 19, from Mazkeret Batya – Combat engineer
- Sergeant Shahar Manoav, 21, from Ashkelon – Combat engineer
- Sergeant Maayan Baruch Pearlstein, 20, from Aschar – Combat engineer
The identity of the seventh soldier has not yet been released, pending formal notification and identification procedures.
The IDF has launched an investigation into the incident, and military sources say operational reviews are underway to assess how the attacker was able to approach the vehicle undetected during active combat operations.
