An officer and six soldiers from the IDF’s 605th Combat Engineering Battalion, part of the Barak Division, were killed on Tuesday when an improvised explosive device (IED) detonated in the Khan Yunis area of southern Gaza. The explosive was attached to the armored personnel carrier (APC) transporting the troops. Upon detonation, the blast set the vehicle ablaze.
The incident took place in the Khan Yunis area, where a terrorist reportedly managed to attach an explosive device to a Puma armored vehicle belonging to the 605th Combat Engineering Battalion. This attack follows a string of similar incidents in which terrorists succeeded in placing explosives on IDF armored vehicles operating in the same region.
A previous incident, about a week and a half ago, also involved senior officers and is currently under investigation. IDF officials noted that one of the fundamental operational protocols is that armored vehicles—whether tanks, Namer APCs, or Puma vehicles—should not move in hostile territory without a secured perimeter. As part of the ongoing inquiry, investigators are examining whether the absence of such perimeter security may have allowed the latest attack to occur and whether it could have been prevented.
IDF forces at the scene attempted to extinguish the fire and used a D9 bulldozer to cover the APC with sand. The vehicle was then towed and transported back into Israeli territory.
The fallen soldiers are:
Lt. Matan Shai Yashinovsky, 21, of Kfar Yona
Sgt. Ronal Ben-Moshe, 20, of Rehovot
Sgt. Niv Radie, 20, of Alikin
Sgt. Ronen Shapiro, 19, of Mazkeret Batya
Sgt. Shahar Manoav, 21, of Ashkelon
Sgt. Maayan Baruch Perlstein, 20, of Ashkharah
Sgt. Alon Davidov, 21, of Kiryat Yam
In a separate incident, a soldier from the IDF’s 605th Combat Engineering Battalion, part of the Barak Formation, was seriously wounded during overnight fighting in the southern Gaza Strip. He was evacuated to the hospital for medical treatment. The IDF has notified his family.
???????????? פרטי התקרית:
מחבל הצמיד מטען לנגמ״ש הפומה בו היו לוחמי הנדסה. הנגמ״ש עלה באש – אין ניצולים.1. במהלך התקפה של חטיבה 188 ב’ליבת חאן יונס’, מחבל מתקרב לעבר “פומה” ובה 7 לוחמי הנדסה, מצמיד מטען ונמלט. המטען מתפוצץ ומצית שריפה בכלי הרכב המשוריין.
2. בגלל השריפה כוחות החילוץ… pic.twitter.com/jeIbHIox01
— Asslan Khalil (@KhalilAsslan) June 25, 2025
Since October 7, 2023, the names of 878 fallen Israeli servicemembers have been cleared for publication. Since the resumption of combat operations against Hamas on March 18, 28 soldiers have been killed in the Gaza Strip, including a Border Police undercover operative and a Defense Ministry engineering equipment operator.
The toll has risen sharply in recent weeks. Since the start of June, 20 soldiers have been killed in operational incidents—the highest monthly figure since November 2023, when 31 soldiers lost their lives. Among the recent casualties is a soldier killed yesterday in an Iranian missile strike.
