Five Israeli soldiers were killed and 14 others injured—two critically—after a roadside bomb struck infantry troops during a ground operation in Beit Hanoun, northern Gaza, late Monday night.
According to an initial IDF probe, the blast occurred around 10 p.m. as soldiers operated on foot. The unit came under fire during efforts to evacuate the wounded.
The troops, from the Netzah Yehuda Battalion and the 646th Reserve Paratroopers Brigade, were conducting a joint operation to clear remaining militants in the area. The military said the zone had been targeted by airstrikes prior to the ground offensive.