New details about the drone explosion that killed two IDF reservists on Thursday strengthen the IDF's assessment that the incident was an operational accident and that Hamas was not involved in the incident.
The incident claimed the lives of Master Sergeant (res.) Nadav Kali, 24, from Har Halutz, and Master Sergeant (res.) Ofek Moalem, 23, from Jerusalem.
The investigation centers around a central question: why did the explosive device that was mounted on the drone detonate even though the soldiers took steps which, according to its safety mechanism, were meant to prevent the explosion?
According to the details published on Sunday on Galei Tzahal, the assessment is that as the drone lifted off the ground, it struck an object, possibly an electric cable or pole, and fell. The two soldiers who operated it, certified and experienced drone operators, learned the drone had fallen when they heard a noise and the camera mounted to it stopped working.
At this point, the two took the initial action to reduce the drone's danger: they turned off the remote control. According to the system's safety mechanism, when the remote control is turned off, the drone's explosive charge is not supposed to explode.
However, that is exactly what happened, and the IDF is examining why that happened.
The drone fell onto a canopy inside the outpost, leaving an unexploded drone carrying an explosive charge near the soldiers. The two soldiers decided to move it outside the outpost to distance the danger from the other troops stationed there. A bomb disposal team was not called to the scene.
As the two soldiers were carrying the drone out of the outpost, it exploded, killing them both.
The IDF is investigating the sequence of events and why the explosive device detonated despite the remote control having been switched off. Meanwhile, the military increasingly believes that Hamas was not involved in the drone explosion. A senior IDF officer said that, as far as is known, Hamas does not possess the capability to take control of drones of this type or interfere with their operation.
The incident adds to a long series of operational accidents that have claimed the lives of soldiers during the fighting in the Gaza Strip. Since the beginning of the war, 82 soldiers have been killed in operational accidents in Gaza, out of a total of 474 soldiers who have fallen in combat in the Strip. This represents approximately 17% of the fatalities, or nearly one in five.