The fallen soldiers were identified as Maj. Omri Chai Ben Moshe, 26, Lt. Eran Shelem, 23, Lt. Eitan Avner Ben Itzhak, 22, and Lt. Ron Arieli, 20. Images shared online showed the Humvee badly damaged after the attack.
The IDF said the Humvee had moved close to the roadside before being struck. The military is still checking what type of bomb was used and how it was triggered. Brig. Gen. Effie Defrin confirmed Israeli forces are still active in Rafah. Operations there focus on destroying tunnels used by Hamas fighters.
These losses were the first Israeli combat deaths in Gaza in 10 days. The total Israeli death toll since the ground offensive began has now reached 469. This includes soldiers, police officers, and civilian contractors.
Later the same day, two more soldiers were killed in a Border Assault at the Allenby Crossing on the Jordan-Israel border. A Jordanian truck driver opened fire immediately after entering the Israeli side. He killed two soldiers before being shot dead by security guards.
The victims were Lt.-Col. (res.) Yitzhak Harosh, 68, from Jerusalem, and Sgt. Oran Hershko, 20, from Tel Mond. Officials said the attacker also tried to stab people before being neutralized. Security sources are examining if he acted with accomplices.
The twin attacks in Rafah and the Border Assault have once again highlighted the security risks Israel faces on multiple fronts.
In other related news also read Spain Calls for Israel’s Ban from International Sports
