11 IDF soldiers killed in Gaza fighting over the weekend, bringing total to 306
Over the weekend, two separate incidents unfolded in Gaza: an explosion in the south that claimed the lives of 8 IDF soldiers, and another incident in the north which resulted in the loss of 2
The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) are grappling with the aftermath of a devastating incident in Rafah, southern Gaza, where eight soldiers from Combat Engineering Battalion 601 lost their lives during an operation early Saturday morning.
The incident, which occurred at approximately 5:15 A.M. local time, marks a significant loss for the IDF, the largest in one day since January.
The soldiers, part of Givati Battalion 424, were engaged in an operation targeting Hamas militants and terrorist infrastructure in the northwestern part of Tal al-Sultan, a neighborhood in Rafah. Initial reports indicate that their Namer armored personnel carrier was struck by a powerful explosion, believed to have been caused by a remotely-detonated roadside bomb. The explosion was exacerbated by engineering tools and explosive materials carried inside the vehicle, leading to severe damage and making identification of the soldiers challenging.
"The incident has not yet been fully examined. These are preliminary findings," stated IDF officials, emphasizing the complexity and seriousness of the situation.
The names of the victims that have so far been authorized for publication are:
Captain Wassem Mahmoud, 23, deputy commander of a company in the 601st combat engineering battalion, originally from Beit Jann
Sergeant Itay Amar, 19, from Kochav Yair.
Sergeant Oz Yeshaia Gruber, 20, from Tal Menashe, in the West Bank.
Sergeant Orr Blumovitz, 20, from Pardes Hana-Karkur
Sergeant Stanislav Kostarev, 21, from Ashdod
Sergeant Eliyahu Moshe Zimbalist, 21 years old, from Beit Shemesh
Later on Sunday the army released the name of an additional soldier killed in the incident:
Sergeant Yakir Ya'akov Levi, 21, from Kibbutz Hafetz Haim
In a separate incident in north Gaza, the IDF announced the passing of two additional soldiers:
Captain (res.) Eitan Koplovich, 28, from Jerusalem
Sergeant-Major (res.) Elon Waiss, 49 years old, from Psagot, in the West Bank.
Sergeant Yair Roitman, a fighter from Karnei Shomron, in the West Bank, who served in the Givati Patrol, also passed away from wounds sustained during a battle in the southern Gaza Strip on June 10, 2024.
The deadliest incident in Gaza occurred in January, when 21 soldiers were killed in an explosion triggered by Hamas fire that caused two buildings set for demolition to collapse with the soldiers inside it.