The Israeli army announced that the soldiers were killed “during operational activity” in the southern Gaza Strip, where the war has been continuing for more than 8 months.
In response to a question about the circumstances of the soldiers’ deaths, the army confirmed that their armored vehicle designated for transporting troops exploded in the Rafah area.
The Times of Israel reported some details of what is considered the bloodiest Israeli army incident in Gaza since last January.
According to a preliminary investigation by the Israeli army, all the soldiers were killed inside a “Nimr” armored combat vehicle.
The soldiers were leading a convoy at approximately 5 a.m. on Saturday morning, after a night attack in the northwestern areas of the Tal al-Sultan neighborhood in Rafah, during which forces affiliated with the 401st Armored Brigade killed about 50 militants, according to the Israeli army.
The convoy was heading to the buildings controlled by the army, so that the forces could rest after the night operation.
According to The Times of Israel, the targeted armored vehicle was the fifth or sixth car in the convoy, and while it was traveling, it was exposed to a large explosion.
It was not immediately clear whether the cause of the explosion was a bomb planted earlier in the incident, or whether Hamas fighters had approached the car with an explosive device and placed it directly on it.
The Al-Qassam Brigades, the armed wing of the Hamas movement, said earlier that fighters ambushed an armored personnel carrier, killing and wounding a number of Israeli soldiers in the Tal al-Sultan area.
The army is also investigating the possibility that explosives on the outside of the car may have contributed to the massive explosion.
According to the Israeli newspaper, mines and other explosives on the outside of the armored vehicle are usually unable to cause injuries to the forces inside if they explode.
The investigation concluded that “there was no gunfire at the center of the incident, and that the car was not parked when the explosion occurred.”
This incident brings the number of Israeli army soldiers killed in the ground attack on Gaza to 307.
The deadliest incident for the Israeli army occurred in Gaza in January, when 21 soldiers were killed in an explosion that followed the firing of an RPG shell by Hamas, which led to the collapse of two buildings.
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