The soldiers—Staff-Sergeant Shoham Menahem (21), Sergeant Shlomo Yakir Shrem (20), and Sergeant Yuliy Faktor (19)—were all part of the 401st Armored Brigade. According to Army Radio, the explosion occurred around noon during a brigade mission targeting a Hamas battalion and its infrastructure.

While the initial IDF assessment pointed to an anti-tank missile strike, investigators now say the blast was likely caused by a malfunctioning shell inside the tank. One officer from the same unit was seriously wounded in the incident, which remains under review.

The soldiers hailed from Yardena, Efrat, and Rishon Lezion.

With the deaths of Menahem, Shrem, and Faktor, the total number of Israeli soldiers killed since October 7, 2023, has reached 893, according to IDF data. Of those, 446 died after the army began ground operations in Gaza on October 27, 2023.

The incident highlights ongoing risks faced by Israeli forces operating in Gaza’s urban terrain, where both enemy fire and operational hazards continue to claim lives.