Seven Israeli combat engineers, aged between 19 and 21, were killed in a devastating improvised explosive device (IED) attack in Khan Younis in the southern Gaza Strip on Tuesday. This incident, where an explosive was attached to their armored vehicle, marks one of the deadliest for Israeli ground forces in recent months.
On Wednesday morning, the Israeli military cleared for publication the names of six of the soldiers after their families were notified of their deaths.
All the fallen soldiers were fighters from the 605th Combat Engineering Battalion, operating with the Barak Division (188). One of them was an officer.
The soldiers were killed when a terrorist attached an explosive device to their armored personnel carrier (APC) as they were conducting combat operations in Khan Younis.
The vehicle was completely destroyed by fire and had to be towed into Israel with the bodies before forensic testing could be conducted.
The incident occurred at 5:30 PM on Tuesday while the force was engaged in operations in Khan Younis. The fighters were conducting an advance and attack as part of engineering operations to clear the area. According to initial reports, a terrorist successfully attached an explosive device to the APC, causing it to ignite.
Firefighters arrived at the scene and used a D-9 bulldozer to douse the flames by pouring sand onto the APC. They continued their efforts to extinguish the vehicle while it was being towed until it reached Israeli territory with the soldiers’ bodies. Emergency helicopters were dispatched to the location.
The identity of one soldier has not yet been released as the IDF completes the official notification and identification process.
The names of the six confirmed fallen soldiers are as follows:
- Lieutenant Matan Shai Yashinovski, 21, from Kfar Yona, who served as a platoon commander in the 605th Combat Engineering Battalion.
- Staff Sergeant Ronel Ben-Moshe, 20, from Rehovot, a fighter in the 605th Combat Engineering Battalion.
- Staff Sergeant Niv Radia, 20, from Eliakhin, a fighter in the 605th Combat Engineering Battalion.
- Sergeant Ronen Shapiro, 19, from Mazkeret Batya, a fighter in the 605th Combat Engineering Battalion.
- Sergeant Shahar Manoav, 21, from Ashkelon, a fighter in the 605th Combat Engineering Battalion.
- Sergeant Maayan Baruch Pearlstein, 20, from Aschar, a fighter in the 605th Combat Engineering Battalion.
