The IDF on Thursday announced that Staff Sergeant Noam Douek, aged 19, from Kiryat Motzkin, was killed in the southern Gaza Strip, apparently from gas poisoning.
Douek served in the 9th Battalion of the 401st Armored Corps Brigade.
The IDF further stated that during the incident in which Staff Sergeant Noam Douek fell, two IDF soldiers in the 9th Battalion of the 401st Armored Corps Brigade were severely injured.
The soldiers have been evacuated to a hospital to receive medical treatment, and their families have been notified.
The Military Police are investigating if Douek was killed and the other two soldiers were hurt by gas poisoning while they slept. The incident apparently occurred when a generator that, in violation of IDF protocol, was running nearby to power fans emitted gases in the closed room for hours.
This is the second tragedy to occur in Rafah this week that was not directly connected to combat. On Monday Captain Mordechai Kadmon was killed when a grenade detonated while he was not performing operational activity.
The Military Police have opened an investigation into the circumstances of the incident after which the findings will be sent to the Military Prosecution.