The Israel Defense Forces reported its deadliest incident in Rafah since the ground operation began after a catastrophic explosion killed eight soldiers in an armored personnel carrier.
The eight soldiers were riding in an advanced Namer APC when a massive explosion killed everyone inside, the Times of Israel reported. An investigation is underway, and it’s unknown if the blast was caused by an improvised explosive device, anti-tank guided missile, or another weapon. Some sources indicated that the explosion became catastrophic after detonating munitions stored onboard. The incident marks one of the deadliest of the entire War in Gaza for the IDF, and the deadliest since ground operations into Rafah began last month.
Among the dead was Cpt. Wassem Mahmoud, 23, from the Druze village of Beit Jann. The village is unique for having the highest casualty rate among IDF soldiers of any community in Israel.
“The Druze community pays once again a very heavy price in this war. Capt. Waseem Mahmoud, may his memory be blessed, from Beit Jann, joins a long list of fallen Druze who sacrificed their lives for the security of the state since the outbreak of the war,” Sheikh Muafak Tarif, head of Israel’s Druze community, said.
The Druze are an esoteric Muslim offshoot ethno-religious group, distinguished in Israel by their uniquely good relations with Jews and the Israeli government.
Though Mahmoud was the only soldier publicly identified, the IDF has contacted the other families.
The Washington Examiner reached out to the IDF for comment.
The explosion occurred around 5 a.m. local time. The troops were being taken to recently seized buildings, which had been taken after a battle with Hamas gunmen. Hamas claimed credit for the attack.
The attack was the deadliest against the IDF of the war since January, when Hamas RPG fire collapsed two buildings containing IDF soldiers, killing 21.
According to Mark Dubowitz, CEO of the Foundation for the Defense of Democracies, Israel has lost 660 soldiers since Oct. 7, with many of these occurring during Hamas’s initial assault.
“In proportional terms, this would be like the U.S. losing 22,000 troops — more than three times the American personnel who died in post-9/11 wars in Iraq and Afghanistan,” he said. “And those IDF losses have overwhelmingly been conscripts and reservists.”
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The number of Palestinian casualties is a source of great controversy. Gazan health authorities claim over 37,000 Palestinians have been killed in the war, most of them women and children. Israeli authorities have highly disputed this, saying that the figures have been inflated, and the majority killed have been Hamas fighters.
The Namer is one of the most well-protected APCs in the world, having been converted from a Merkava tank chassis. The vehicles are coveted among the IDF but expensive and slow to produce, with the army mostly relying on older, lesser armored APCs like the American M113.
