7 Israeli soldiers killed in armored personnel carrier explosion in Khan Yunis

Seven Israeli soldiers were killed in an explosion targeting an Israeli Puma armored personnel carrier in the Khan Yunis area of the southern Gaza Strip, in one of the most violent attacks on Israeli forces since the start of the latest military operation, an Israeli military spokesman said in a statement on Wednesday.

The incident occurred Tuesday evening, at approximately 5:20 a.m., in the Khan Yunis area in the southern Gaza Strip, and resulted in the deaths of seven soldiers from the Israeli army's combat engineering battalion, Yedioth Ahronoth reported.

Israeli media described the explosion that destroyed the Puma armored personnel carrier in Khan Yunis as the most serious incident to hit the Gaza Strip in more than a year, specifically since June 15, 2024, when eight soldiers from an engineering unit were killed when a Namer-E armored personnel carrier was hit by an anti-tank missile in Rafah.

Initial investigations indicate that Palestinian gunmen managed to attach an explosive device to an armored personnel carrier before fleeing the scene undetected.

Initial investigations revealed that the explosive device targeting the Puma armored personnel carrier exploded directly, causing extensive damage, completely destroying the vehicle and killing all soldiers inside.

The armored vehicle was participating in a ground attack as part of an offensive operation carried out by the Joint Combat Team of the 605th Engineering Battalion, part of the 188th Brigade of the 36th Division, as part of the ongoing military operations in the Khan Yunis area.

The Puma-class carrier does not have active protection systems such as the "Windcoat", a defensive system used on modern armored personnel carriers such as the Namer, which are deployed in regular army units and are considered more advanced in terms of protection against close and direct threats.

According to military sources, the explosion occurred as the force advanced toward a field target, when the explosive device, likely planted or attached to the armored vehicle, was activated. The massive explosion engulfed the armored personnel carrier, transforming it into a mass of flames in the middle of the battlefield.

The remaining soldiers of the force worked under fire from potential threats for several minutes to try to control the fire, using manual extinguishing methods, along with special firefighting teams that were quickly dispatched to the explosion site.

A D-9 armored bulldozer also participated in the firefighting efforts, implementing the emergency protocol followed in such situations, pouring large quantities of sand onto the burning armored vehicle to reduce the flames and cool the structure.

However, the evacuation helicopters that arrived at the site returned empty-handed, after it became clear that the seven soldiers had died instantly inside the armored vehicle as a result of the explosion and intense fire, preventing any rescue or medical evacuation operations.

The Puma armored personnel carrier was towed into Israeli territory and is undergoing a thorough technical inspection as part of the ongoing investigation. IDF forces are continuing an intensive search for the attackers, who are believed to have planted the explosive device or carried out the attack using an anti-tank weapon before fleeing.

However, the possibility that the incident was caused by an RPG fired from close range, which directly targeted the armored vehicle and led to its complete destruction and burning, has not yet been ruled out.

An investigation is currently underway to analyze the nature of the damage and the effects of the explosion, in an attempt to determine whether it was caused by a planted explosive device or a direct attack with an anti-tank missile.

The incident is considered one of the most serious attacks targeting army forces in the southern Gaza Strip since the start of military operations. It has once again raised questions about the appropriateness of using this type of armored vehicle in open combat zones exposed to high-explosive devices, and the protection of engineering crews working on the front lines.

The incident highlighted the significant risks faced by front-line engineering units and the challenges posed by combat in an urban environment littered with IEDs, necessitating a tactical and operational review of vehicle use and protective measures in such high-risk missions.

This incident adds to a series of bloody blows suffered by the Israeli army since the start of the war on Gaza on October 7, 2023. These attacks have so far resulted in the deaths of 879 soldiers, a heavy toll that reflects the intensity of the fighting and the complexity of the combat environment, particularly in the southern areas of the Gaza Strip, where explosive devices and anti-tank weapons are widely deployed.

Source: Arabs 48