Six Israeli soldiers were killed and more than a dozen injured Tuesday when explosives meant to demolish a Hamas tunnel in Gaza detonated prematurely, the Israel Defense Forces confirmed.
The IDF said combat engineers went to Bureij, a Palestinian refugee camp in Gaza, after troops discovered an underground weapons and rocket production site. They were rigging the area with explosives when the blast occurred after a nearby IDF tank opened fire on a Hamas target, officials said.
“It appears that a tank shell hit a nearby power pole, triggering the charge,” Rear Adm. Daniel Hagari, an IDF spokesman, said in a briefing Tuesday. “We are examining the event seriously and as quickly as possible, and preliminary lessons have already been passed on to the forces in the field.”
According to Israeli media reports, the blast activated the detonation cord that led to a premature explosion while the combat engineers were preparing for the tunnel system demolition.
“Destroying Hamas’ military capabilities is a complex but necessary action to achieve the objectives of the war,” Adm. Hagari said. “Our forces perform it patiently while strictly following the safety rules and maintaining the security of our forces.”
He noted that 136 hostages abducted by Hamas terrorists during their Oct. 7 rampage that started the war remain in captivity inside Gaza.
“We care for their physical and mental well-being,” Adm. Hagari said. “We have a moral obligation to bring them all home.”
• Mike Glenn can be reached at mglenn@washingtontimes.com.
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