Five IDF soldiers lost their lives and fourteen others were injured following a roadside bomb explosion late Monday night in the northern Gaza neighborhood of Beit Hanoun, the military confirmed.
Among those killed were Staff Sgt. Meir Shimon Amar, 20, and Sgt. Moshe Nissim Frech, 20, both residents of Yerushalayim. They served in the Netzach Yehuda Battalion, part of the Kfir Brigade.
The identities of the other three soldiers who died in the incident have not yet been made public and are expected to be released in due course.
According to preliminary findings from the IDF, the soldiers had been on foot during operations in Beit Hanoun when they were struck by an explosive device planted along the roadside shortly after 10 p.m. They were not traveling in an armored vehicle at the time.
While trying to evacuate the wounded, Israeli troops were met with additional gunfire from hostile forces in the vicinity, according to the same initial probe.
Of the fourteen injured, two are reported to be in critical condition.
Military officials noted that airstrikes were carried out in the area before ground forces moved in, in an effort to neutralize threats prior to their entry.
The Netzach Yehuda troops were working in coordination with the Northern Brigade of the Gaza Division and were participating in a broader mission alongside the 646th Reserve Paratroopers Brigade to eliminate terrorist infrastructure and operatives entrenched in Beit Hanoun.
{Matzav.com Israel}