Posted on 07/09/25
| News Source: Arutz-7
Under the command of the 162nd Division, the Givati Brigade combat team has joined the 99th Division forces and begun operations to encircle Beit Hanoun in the northern Gaza Strip.
The IDF stated that the forces are operating to eliminate terrorists and to dismantle terrorist infrastructure and Hamas' military capabilities in the area.
Earlier in the day, it was reported that IDF troops continue to operate in the areas of Shejaiya and Zeitoun to eliminate terrorists and locate weapons. Over the past day, the troops located and dismantled a cache of explosive devices and landmines that were hidden in a civilian structure.
The IDF estimates that dozens of terrorists are still present in the area of Beit Hanoun, most of them in underground tunnels. Five IDF soldiers from the Netzah Yehuda Battalion were killed and another 14 were wounded on Monday evening when they ran into a complex ambush in the town.
According to the investigation into the incident, 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 noted 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.