HY’D: Four IDF Soldiers Killed, Three Wounded In Roadside Bomb

Four IDF soldiers were killed and three others were wounded in a roadside bomb attack in southern Gaza’s Rafah this morning, the military announced.

The slain soldiers are named as:

Maj. Omri Chai Ben Moshe, 26, from Tzafria

Lt. Eran Shelem, 23, from Ramat Yohanan

Lt. Eitan Avner Ben Itzhak, 22, from Har Bracha

Lt. Ron Arieli, 20, from Hadera.

They all served with the Bahad 1 officers’ school’s Dekel Battalion. Ben Moshe was a company commander, while the other three troops were cadets and posthumously promoted to lieutenant.

According to an initial IDF probe, the incident took place during operations in Rafah’s Jenina neighborhood at around 9:30 a.m., as a D9 armored bulldozer was clearing a route while two Humvees drove behind it.

One of the Humvees then drove to the side of the road, and was hit by an explosive device.

The blast killed the four soldiers and wounded three others, including one seriously and two moderately.

The military is still investigating what type of explosive was used, how it was activated, and when it was placed there.

While Rafah has been largely cleared of Hamas operatives and terror infrastructure, the IDF believes there are several dozen more operatives still there, mostly in the Jenina area. Earlier in the day, before the attack, different troops of the Bahad 1 school had three engagements with terror operatives, according to the army.