A preliminary investigation conducted by the IDF paints a grim picture of the battle in Beit Hanoun, in which five soldiers from the Nahal Brigade's Netzach Yehuda Battalion were killed last night. This incident occurred just an hour after the battalion's forces entered the area to carry out operations.
The operation in Beit Hanoun, currently managed by Division 99, began four days ago with the aim of defeating the last remaining terrorists in the city. The IDF estimates that dozens of terrorists are still present in the area, most of them in underground tunnels.
According to the investigation, the area where the incident occurred had been attacked in the preceding days with dozens of airstrikes and artillery fire. When the infantry platoon entered the area, under tank cover, it encountered a well-hidden minefield.
The majority of the casualties among the soldiers were caused by the first two explosives. The first device was detonated on the lead force, and when additional soldiers tried to rescue them, a second device was triggered. A third device was detonated later.
The fallen soldiers are: Staff sergeant Meir Shimon Amar, 20, from Jerusalem; Staff sergeant Noam Aharon Musgadian, 20, from Jerusalem; Staff sergeant Moshe Shmuel Noll, 21, from Beit Shemesh; and Northern Brigade fighter, Sergeant first class (res.) Benyamin Asulin, 28, from Haifa. Four of the fallen were soldiers from Netzach Yehuda, while Sergeant first class (res.) Benyamin Asulin was a combat soldier in the Northern Brigade of the Gaza Division who participated in the battalion's operation.
The IDF notes that the mines were most likely placed in the 24 hours leading up to the event and were remotely detonated by terrorists lying in ambush.
After the mines were triggered, heavy machine gun fire was opened from the ruins. The IDF emphasized that the area where the soldiers were operating was considered highly complex, with the enemy positioned in concealed observation posts.
The event was concluded in about an hour and a half, with all casualties evacuated. The IDF stressed that one of the main objectives of the force was to prevent the kidnapping of soldiers, in light of Hamas's efforts to carry out such actions.