At least seven Israeli soldiers were killed Tuesday when a bomb was dropped into their Puma armored combat engineering vehicle (CEV) in Khan Younis in southern Gaza, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said.
The IDF identified the fallen as Lt. Matan Shai Yashinovski, 21; Staff Sgts. Ronel Ben-Moshe, 20; Niv Radia, 20; Alon Davidov, 21; Sgts. Ronen Shapiro, 19; Shahar Manoav, 21; and Maayan Baruch Pearlstein, 20. All served in the 605th Combat Engineering Battalion.
Hamas, which claimed responsibility for the attack, released a video showing a fighter climbing onto an Israeli tank and throwing a grenade inside. Open-source accounts said that fighters likely used a “Shawaz” improvised explosively formed penetrator (EFP) in the attack.
Hamas Qassam Brigades publishes new video featuring fighters ambushing Israeli forces. pic.twitter.com/4uqP8nSym0
— Clash Report (@clashreport) June 25, 2025
IDF spokesperson Brig. Gen. Effie Defrin said the soldiers had been dismantling tunnels and engaging Hamas fighters when they were attacked.
Defrin said rescue forces and helicopters were dispatched to the scene and attempted to extract the fallen soldiers, but their efforts were unsuccessful.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu offered his condolences to the families, saying the “heroic soldiers fell in the battle to defeat Hamas and free our hostages in the southern Gaza Strip.”
“I send my deepest condolences to the families who lost their dearest loved ones, and I share with them in their unbearable grief at this difficult time,” Netanyahu added.
אני כואב את נפילתם של סגן מתן שי ישינובסקי, סמ”ר רונאל בן-משה, סמ”ר ניב רדיע, סמל רונן שפירו, סמל שחר מנואב, סמל מעיין ברוך פרלשטיין, ולוחם נוסף ששמו טרם הותר לפרסום, לוחמי גדוד ההנדסה הקרבית 605 שנפלו בקרב בדרום רצועת עזה.
לוחמינו לחמו בגבורה ונפלו בעת שליחותם להגן על מדינת… pic.twitter.com/8WqEInKZUM
— ישראל כ”ץ Israel Katz (@Israel_katz) June 25, 2025
Defense Minister Israel Katz expressed his sympathy on X. “Our fighters fought with bravery and fell while fulfilling their mission to defend the State of Israel and to bring back our hostages,” Katz said. “I send heartfelt condolences to the bereaved families and embrace them on behalf of an entire nation in their most difficult hour.”
The soldiers’ deaths brought the total number of Israeli military fatalities in Gaza since October 7, 2023, to 879.
Meanwhile, Israeli attacks killed 79 people in Gaza over the past 24 hours, according to Gaza’s Hamas-controlled health ministry. 33 of them reportedly died while trying to access humanitarian aid.
According to the ministry, over 56,000 people, mostly civilians, have been killed by Israeli forces since the October 7, 2023, Hamas-led attack on Israel, in which about 1,200 people were killed and roughly 250 taken hostage.
