Middle East (Parliament Politics Magazine) – The Israeli army confirmed four soldiers were killed in a bomb explosion in southern Gaza on Thursday, amid intensifying military operations.
According to a military statement, a roadside bomb near Rafah city killed three soldiers and an officer.
According to the army, the deceased were members of the Dekel Battalion, and three other cadets who were posthumously promoted to lieutenant were also hurt in the explosion.
The IDF recognized the dead soldiers as Lt. Eran Shelem, 23, from Ramat Yohanan; Lt. Eitan Avner Ben Itzhak, 22, from Har Bracha; Lt. Ron Arieli, 20, from Hadera; and Maj. Omri Chai Ben Moshe, 26, from Tzafria.
With their passing on Thursday, Israel now has 469 dead in its ground battle against Hamas in Gaza and military operations along the Strip’s border. Three civilian contractors from the Middle East Defense Ministry and two police officers are among the victims.
All four of the fallen troops were members of the Dekel Battalion of the Bahad 1 officers’ school. The other three soldiers were cadets who were posthumously elevated to lieutenant, while Ben Moshe was a company commander.
Shelem was a member of the elite Sayeret Matkal unit; Ben Itzhak was a member of the Commando Brigade; Arieli was a member of the Golani Brigade; and Ben Moshe was a company commander in the Paratroopers Brigade prior to enrolling in the officers’ school.
The incident occurred during operations in the Jenina district of Rafah at approximately 9:30 a.m., when a D9 armored bulldozer was clearing a path and two Humvees were driving behind it, according to an initial IDF investigation.
After that, one of the Humvees pulled over to the side of the road and was struck by an explosive device.
Pictures of the severely damaged IDF Humvee and the aftermath of the fatal roadside bombing were shared on social media on Thursday.
The IDF estimates that there are still a few dozen Hamas operatives in Rafah, primarily in the Jenina region, despite the fact that the city has been mainly cleaned of terrorist infrastructure and operatives. The army claims that three encounters between various personnel from the Bahad 1 school and terrorists occurred earlier Thursday, prior to the attack.
Defrin went on to say that “our forces are working to destroy the remaining underground infrastructures in the area.”
The four Israeli deaths reported on Thursday were the first to occur in Gaza since a Hamas strike on the outskirts of Gaza City ten days prior, which claimed the lives of four troops.
IDF Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Eyal Zamir said Tuesday that “our aim is to deepen the blows to Hamas until its defeat.”
He asserted that Hamas had been dealt severe blows:
“We have defeated the main part of its military power, and now we are deepening the achievements that will allow us to bring the end of the war closer.”
On October 7, 2023, terrorists led by Hamas invaded southern Israel, killing around 1,200 people mostly civilians and capturing 251 captives to take to Gaza, sparking the start of the conflict. 47 of them are still being held captive by terrorist organizations in Gaza, including the bodies of at least 25 people who have been officially declared dead by Israeli officials.
Although the number cannot be confirmed and does not distinguish between militants and civilians, the Gaza health ministry, which is administered by Hamas, reports that over 65,000 people have been killed or are thought to have died in the fighting in the Strip thus far.
Israel claims to have killed 1,600 terrorists inside Israel during the October 7 attack and more than 22,000 combatants in combat as of August. Israel claims it aims to reduce the number of civilian deaths.
What are the international reactions to the Gaza explosion incident?
Many Western states, most notably the United States, the United Kingdom, and many European Union member states expressed their condolences for the lost Israeli soldiers and reiterated Israel’s right to self-defense against attacks. They note the need to fight terrorism but urge that defenses minimize civilian casualties.
Many nations in the Middle East and North Africa have condemned the violence and called for a ceasefire and humanitarian access to Gaza. Some nations characterized the Israeli military operations as disproportionate violence and called for the intervention of the international community so that civilians would be protected.
These powers have also been critical of Israel’s military actions, placing the conflict within larger debates around geopolitics.