Five “Israeli” soldiers killed, 14 wounded in north Gaza roadside bomb: military

Five "Israeli" soldiers were killed and 14 others wounded in a roadside bomb blast in northern Gaza's Beit Hanoun overnight Monday, the "Israeli" military announced Tuesday.

According to an initial probe by the "Israel" Occupation Forces (IOF), the infantry soldiers were on patrol and not inside an armored vehicle when they were hit by an explosive device shortly after 10 PM Monday.

During subsequent attempts to extract the casualties, forces reportedly came under fire in the area. Two of the wounded are listed in serious condition.

The soldiers were identified as:

• Staff Sgt. Meir Shimon Amar, 20
• Sgt. Moshe Nissim Frech, 20
• Staff-Sgt. Noam Aharon Musgadian, 20
• Sgt. Maj. Benyamin Asulin, 28
• Staff-Sgt. Moshe Shmuel Noll, 21

All five soldiers served with the Netzah Yehuda Battalion of the Kfir Brigade, which has been involved in operations in Beit Hanoun.

Their deaths bring the total number of "Israeli" military personnel killed in the Gaza ground operation since late October 2023 to over 440.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu lamented a "difficult morning" as he visited Washington for talks with US President Donald Trump, who is pressing for a ceasefire in the more than 21-month war.

"All of Israel bows its head and mourns the fall of our heroic soldiers, who risked their lives in the battle to defeat Hamas and free all our hostages," Netanyahu posted on X.

The five soldiers aged between 20 and 28 "fell during combat in the northern Gaza Strip", the “Israeli” military said.

"The unbearable news of the fall of five heroic sons in Gaza -- most of them fighters of the ultra-Orthodox 'Netzach Yehuda' battalion -- pierces the heart," President Isaac Herzog posted on X.

"For the sake of the fighters, for the sake of their families, for the sake of the hostages, for the sake of the State of Israel: this war must be ended," opposition leader Yair Lapid wrote.