Deadly explosion in northern Gaza kills three IDF troops

The IDF cleared for publication this morning (Tuesday) that three soldiers from the Rotem Battalion of the Givati Brigade were killed by an explosive device in the northern Gaza Strip:

Staff Sergeant Lior Steinberg, 20, from Petah Tikva; Staff Sergeant Ofek Barhena, 20, from Yavne; and Staff Sergeant Omer Van Gelder, 22, from Ma’ale Adumim.

Two additional soldiers were moderately wounded.

The incident occurred yesterday around 6:00 p.m., when the soldiers were escorting an IDF firetruck that had entered the Jabaliya neighborhood a few hours earlier to extinguish an armored personnel carrier (Namer) that had caught fire due to a technical malfunction.

As the forces were returning to Israeli territory, the convoy accompanying the firetruck – which included four Humvees and a Namer – entered an area where explosive devices had been planted. One of the vehicles carrying the soldiers suffered a direct hit, and the three were killed instantly. Two other soldiers were moderately injured and evacuated by helicopter to a hospital.

The evacuation of the casualties took several minutes, in part because the force realized it had entered an explosives zone. IDF officials said that at least 20 explosive devices were found along the path taken by the forces as they exited Jabaliya.

The IDF is investigating the incident, including whether the terrorists had identified the convoy route in the morning and rigged it with explosives later that day, assuming an IDF convoy would pass through.

Five days ago, it was cleared for publication that David Libi, a 19-year-old Israeli civilian working in Gaza as a contractor on behalf of the Defense Ministry, was killed by a powerful belly-charge explosion in the northern Strip. According to the investigation, Libi was operating a bulldozer as part of the combat team of the 401st Brigade in the Jabaliya area when the device was detonated.

A week earlier, it was cleared for publication that Staff Sergeant Danilo Mokanu, 20, from Holon, a soldier in the PATK 51 (Exposure and Assault Platoon) of Battalion 82, “Sa’ar Golan” Formation (7th Armored Brigade), was killed in combat in southern Gaza.

Mokanu was part of a force conducting a search of a building, using a drone and an Oketz unit dog. After the search, Staff Sergeant Mokanu ascended alone to the fourth floor, where an explosive device detonated. He was killed and trapped under the rubble; another soldier was rescued with light injuries. The rest of the team was in another part of the building. The IDF is investigating whether the explosive was remotely detonated or triggered by a hidden mechanism inside the building.

On May 19, the IDF announced the death of Sergeant Yosef Yehuda Hirak, 22, from the settlement of Harasha, a soldier in the 601st Engineering Battalion, “Iron Trails” Formation (401st Division), in northern Gaza. According to an initial investigation, Yosef Yehuda was killed as a result of 'friendly fire'.

According to the preliminary findings, a unit entered the area and located a tunnel shaft. That force began conducting an investigation inside the shaft in order to connect to the tunnel for destruction. During this time, another company was securing the area.

Yosef Yehuda is survived by his wife Emuna, whom he married seven months ago, his parents, and three sisters. He was the son-in-law of Yehuda Eliyahu, Director-General of the Settlement Administration in the Ministry of Defense.