Four IDF soldiers killed in building explosion in Khan Younis, southern Gaza

The IDF spokesperson authorized for publication on Friday that four Israeli soldiers were killed when a building collapsed following the detonation of an explosive device in Khan Younis, in the southern Gaza Strip.

Two of the fallen were identified as Master Sergeant (res.) Chen Gross and Staff Sergeant Yoav Raver, while the names of the other two soldiers have not yet been cleared for publication. Additionally, five soldiers were injured –one seriously and four moderately.

Gross, a fighter in the Maglan Unit under the Commando Brigade, from Gan Yoshiya, was 33 years old when he fell.

Raver, a combat engineer in the elite Yahalom Unit of the Combat Engineering Corps, from Sde Warburg, was 19.

The incident took place during an assault by the 98th Division in northern Khan Younis, near Bani Suheila. At 6 a.m. this morning, Maglan soldiers entered a Hamas compound to scan a building.

According to the IDF, the mission was to seize control of a building within a Hamas compound, which intelligence assessments suggested may have had underground infrastructure beneath it. Upon entering the structure, a powerful explosive device detonated, causing part of the building to collapse on the soldiers, who were then trapped under the rubble.

The four soldiers were killed instantly. One soldier was critically wounded, four were moderately injured, and several others sustained light injuries. The wounded were evacuated by helicopters for medical treatment within a short time, while the effort to extract the bodies of the fallen from the rubble continued for several hours, with assistance from Home Front Command teams.

Eight soldiers have been killed in Gaza over the past week, bringing the total number of fallen troops during the ground offensive in the Gaza Strip to 424.

The office of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu released condolences to the families of the four fallen soldiers: "This is a sad and difficult day. Our four soldiers gave their lives for the security of us all. The entire people of Israel embraces the dear families in their heavy grief."

The office of Defense Minister Israel Katz stated: "I send my heartfelt condolences to the dear families. There are no words that can ease the magnitude of the loss. I wish a full and speedy recovery to the soldiers wounded in the difficult incident – and I strengthen the hands of our brave fighters who act with courage and determination against a cruel enemy, for the security of our citizens and the release of the hostages."

On Tuesday, it was cleared for publication that three soldiers from the Rotem Battalion of the Givati Brigade were killed in an IED explosion in the northern Gaza Strip:
Staff Sergeant Lior Steinberg, 20, from Petah Tikva;
Staff Sergeant Ofek Barhana, 20, from Yavne;
Staff Sergeant Omer Van Gelder, 22, from Ma’ale Adumim.

Two other soldiers were moderately injured.

That incident occurred on Monday around 18:00, as the soldiers were escorting an IDF firetruck that had entered the Jabaliya neighborhood earlier in the day to extinguish a Namer (armored personnel carrier) that caught fire due to a technical malfunction.

On their way back to Israeli territory, the convoy accompanying the firetruck – which included four Hummer and Namer vehicles – entered an area where explosive devices had been planted. One of the vehicles carrying the soldiers sustained a direct hit, and they were killed instantly. Two additional soldiers were moderately wounded and airlifted to a hospital.

The IDF is investigating the incident, including the possibility that terrorists identified the travel route in the morning and booby-trapped it in the evening, anticipating that an IDF convoy would pass through the area later that day.