No fewer than eight Israeli soldiers were killed in southern Gaza.
The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said the deadliest single incident involving its troops since October 7 happened on Saturday.
The IDF said preliminary findings suggested an armored vehicle carrying soldiers as part of a convoy was hit by an explosion at around 5:15 a.m. local time during an operation targeting “terrorist infrastructure” in northern Tal al-Sultan.
The attack was disclosed by IDF spokesperson Daniel Hagari in a press conference.
Hagari said, “According to the information we have at this point, one of the engineering vehicles in the convoy was involved in an explosion that was apparently caused by explosive devices planted in the area or as a result of anti-tank missile fire.”
The IDF is also investigating whether the initial explosion was compounded when explosive material aboard the vehicle detonated.
“The current assessment is that the ‘Nemera’ armored vehicle was hit as a result of an explosion of a roadside bomb. In addition, on the vehicle there were engineering tools that included explosive material.
“The explosion was significant and may have been caused by the ignition of the explosive material on the vehicle. This is not supposed to happen, and therefore the incident is being examined.”
Gaza: 8 Israeli soldiers killed in one of the deadliest attack – IDF