Israel mourns 6 soldiers killed in one day: 4 in Gaza roadside bomb & 2 in terror attack on Jordanian border

The Israel Defense Forces lost six soldiers in two separate incidents on Thursday.

Following the shooting attack at the Jordanian border, the military announced in the evening that the two victims were reserve soldiers stationed at the border.

“This is a difficult evening. I send the condolences of the entire people to the families of Lt.-Col. (Res.) Yitzhak Harosh and Sgt. Oran Hershko, who were killed today in an abhorrent terrorist attack at the Allenby Crossing,” said Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

In addition, four soldiers were killed and three others wounded when a roadside bomb exploded on their Humvee in the Gaza Strip.

Netanyahu stated, “Four of our heroic fighters fell in battle today: Maj. Omri Chai ben Moshe, a company commander in the Dekel Battalion, and three cadets – Lt. Ron Arieli, Lt. Eitan Avner ben Itzhak and Lt. Eran Shelem.”

“They fought bravely for the defeat of Hamas and the return of all of our hostages. My wife and I, together with the entire people of Israel send our heartfelt condolences to their families and wish the wounded a speedy recovery.”

The prime minister vowed to continue striking Israel’s enemies “in the spirit of their heroism and in the strength of the souls of our fighters… until we complete our war objectives. May their memories be blessed. May G-d avenge them.”

The explosion that killed the four soldiers occurred not in Gaza City, where the IDF has launched a large-scale offensive, but in the southern city of Rafah.

The area, roughly 1.5 kilometers (one mile) from the Philadelphi Corridor and the Egyptian border, has been under Israeli control for more than a year. The last Hamas attack to cause casualties among soldiers there took place in July.

The Dekel Battalion, comprised of cadets from the IDF’s Officer Training Base, had been clearing the buildings and the underground tunnel system for the last three weeks, Army Radio reported.

On Thursday, IDF soldiers eliminated terrorists during three other clashes with militants in the same area, before the IED explosion incident.

The soldiers were part of a convoy of two open Humvees led by a D-9 bulldozer, which was clearing the path ahead of the Humvees.

When the convoy reached its destination, one of the Humvees deviated from the cleared path, hitting a hidden explosive charge that detonated and immediately killed four soldiers, while wounding three others, one of whom is in critical condition, while the others suffered moderate injuries.

The military is still investigating the type of explosive and whether it was triggered by the movement of the Humvee or manually activated by terrorists.

Following the incident, IDF officials clarified that while Rafah is almost completely cleared of terrorists, a few pockets of resistance remain in the area. The terrorists mostly emerge from underground shafts to conduct hit-and-run attacks.

“There are still underground infrastructures in the area that have not yet been destroyed – forces are working to eliminate them,” an IDF spokesman stated.

“Everywhere we’ve encountered Hamas, we have militarily defeated them. About 100% of Gaza’s population is now in less than 20% of the territory. We have captured Rafah; the Rafah Brigade has been defeated, but there are still militants in the area. We will continue to strike them wherever they are.”