Staff Sergeants Matityahu Ya’akov Perel and Kenew Kasa were killed fighting in the Gaza Strip, the IDF announced on Wednesday.
St.-Sgt. Perel, 22, from Bet El and St.-Sgt. Kasa, 22, from Bet Shemesh, both served in the 46th Armored Battalion in the 401st “Iron Trails” Brigade.
Both fell in the northern Gaza Strip, and a third unnamed soldier was also killed in the same incident.
The soldiers were operating alongside the Nahal Brigade against local Hamas battalions over the past week.
Battling against Hamas
An improvised explosive device (IED) was detonated against the soldier’s tank while they were operating inside the Beit Hanun neighborhood of Gaza City and as a result of the explosion, the tank they were in caught fire, Ynet reported.
The explosives, which weighed tens of kilograms, killed three and injured three others.
All IDF casualties were evacuated from the area in a coordinated manner, and the tank, which overturned and was severely damaged, was towed back to base in a logistical operation after hours of complex rescue operations at the scene.
The IDF has said that it recognizes the threat posed by IEDs, with five soldiers having been killed by them in the past two weeks, including Nahal Brigade company commander Maj. Dvir Zion Ruach and his deputy Cpt. Eitan Shiknazi.
