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The Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) admitted losing two soldiers in separate incidents in the southern Gaza Strip on July 21.
The first slain soldier was serving in the ranks of the Golani Brigade’s 13th Battalion. The was killed by a blast from Israeli military munitions that detonated inside a building in Khan Younis, according to a preliminary IDF probe.
The explosion also seriously wounded an officer in the 13th Battalion, the IDF military said, adding that it was further investigating the cause of the explosion, including the possibility that it was an “operational accident.”
The other soldier killed on the same day was serving in the ranks of the 5th Brigade’s 7020th Battalion. According to a preliminary investigation by the IDF, the soldier was killed when a blast caused a building to collapse during operations in the Rafah area. The military suspects the blast was caused by an explosive device planted by Palestinian fighters.
The latest deaths brought the number of Israeli troops killed in Gaza and along its border since the start of ground operations there to 456.
The IDF has been witnessing increasing resistance in Gaza, as evident by its recent losses and footage released by the Hamas Movement and the Palestinian Islamic Jihad. Still, the military is further developing its ground operations in the Strip.
On July 21, the IDF issued an evacuation warning for several zones in Deir al-Balah, ahead of a new ground offensive in the central Gazal area.
The IDF believes that it has captured around 70-75% of Gaza since Operation Gideon’s Chariots began in May. The operation was supposed to clear and hold most of the Strip, but it’s not clear how much of the enclave is indeed held by Israeli troops.
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