The IDF announced the death of 21 reservists fighting in the Gaza Strip on Tuesday.
Hamas forces fired a rocket-propelled grenade on multiple adjacent structures, along with landmines that the IDF forces had collected and brought into the buildings, which caused a total collapse that killed 19 soldiers and injured several others on Monday.
The incident occurred around 4:00 p.m. in al-Muasi in central Gaza.
In addition, a separate rocket-propelled grenade was fired on an IDF tank which killed two IDF soldiers and injured two others.
Details of the massive explosion are being investigated
It was unclear if the soldiers had violated procedures by bringing the landmines into the structures with them and also unclear how much the collapse of the building was caused by the RPG versus the secondary landmines explosions.
The IDF forces who were harmed were mostly reservists assigned to clear certain areas of dangerous items, such as mines.
Rescue activities went on for hours with the brigade commander having been on site from the start of the incident.
It was unclear what happened to the Hamas attackers.
Names of the soldiers killed
The IDF released the names of 10 of the 21 soldiers that were killed.
From the 8208 Battalion, 261st Brigade:
Sgt. 1st Class (res.) Hadar Kapeluk, 23, from Moshav Mevo Beitar, a Class Commander.
Sgt.-Maj. (res.) Sergey Gontmaher, 37, from Ramat Gan.
Sgt.-1st Class (res.) Elkana Yehuda Sfez, 25, from Kiryat Arba.
Master Sgt. (res.) Yoav Levi, 29, from the city of Yehud-Monoson in central Israel.
Sgt 1st Class (res.) Nicholas Berger, 22, from Jerusalem.
Sgt. 1st Class (res.) Cydrick Garin, 23, from Tel Aviv-Yafo.
From the 6261 Battalion, 261st Brigade:
Sgt.-Maj. (res.) Matan Lazar, 32, from Haifa.
Sgt.-Maj. (res.) Rafael Elias Mosheyoff, 33, from the town of Pardes Hanna-Karkur near Haifa.
St.-Sgt. (res.) Barak Haim Ben Valid, 33, from Rishon Lezion, a Class Commander.
From the 9206 Battalion, 205th Brigade:
Sgt. 1st Class (res.) Yoval Lopez, 27, from the settlement of Alon Shvut in the West Bank.
Names of additional fallen soldiers are expected to be announced once the IDF has been able to fully verify their identities and contact their families.
Israeli officials’ comments
Israeli President Isaac Herzog wrote that “behind every name whose world has fallen apart – a family that we take to our hearts with sorrow and pain, and at the same time with pride – for the heroism of the generation.”
Defense Minister Gallant stated, “On this difficult and painful morning, the enemy’s message reaches many homes in Israel; our hearts are with the dear families in their most difficult time. This is a war that will determine the future of Israel for decades to come – the fall of the fighters is a requirement to achieve the goals of the war.
“I send my condolences from the bottom of my heart to the families of the victims of the campaign and best wishes for a speedy recovery to the wounded.”
Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich described the incident as “heartbreaking news. Condolences from the bottom of my heart to the families of the heroes, the entire nation of Israel embraces you with a broken and aching heart. Our commitment is to ensure that the fall of our soldiers will not be in vain.”
National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir said “Precisely now it is clearer than ever – the war must not be stopped, the fighting must not be reduced. We must continue to subdue, crush and mow down the Nazi enemy in Gaza with all our might. “
Knesset Speaker Amir Ohana said, “It’s a difficult morning for the people of Israel to wake up to this heartbreaking news. On behalf of the Knesset, I would like to send my heartfelt condolences to the families of the fallen. Each of them is a world full of families, hopes, and dreams that were cut short prematurely. We all wish and pray for a speedy recovery of the wounded.”
Yesh Atid Leader Yair Lapid said that he “sends a hug to the families of the soldiers. The entire nation of Israel is with you in your difficult time. May their memory be a blessing.”
National Unity Party Leader Benny Gantz said, “On this difficult morning, we must be united, remember the heavy price we are forced to pay for such a just war and the goal for which our heroes fell – to secure our future, to return our daughters and sons, and to take care of Israel forever. Especially today, we are sending strength to all IDF soldiers and their commanders. We are all behind you.”
Agriculture Minister and security cabinet member Avi Dichter said, “Most of the soldiers were reservists, who left entire families without a father and an entire country shocked and in pain.”
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