Eight soldiers were killed Saturday in an explosion of an engineering armored personnel carrier in Rafah in the southern Gaza Strip, likely due to an improvised explosive device (IED) placed underneath the vehicle. So far, the name of one soldier has been released: Captain Wassem Mahmoud, 23, from the Druze village of Beit Jann, deputy commander of a company in the 601st Engineering Battalion of the 401st Iron Trails Brigade. The date of his funeral has not yet been set.
His uncle Sharif Ghanem shared that his nephew had returned to combat in the Gaza Strip after being injured at the beginning of the war. "A great tragedy has befallen us. Wassem was injured at the start of the war by shrapnel that penetrated his arm. He was supposed to undergo surgery, but he postponed it until the end of the war. Wassem was a determined and brave fighter, and everyone loved him," he said.
"He made sure not to talk about the war, always reassuring us, especially his mother," the uncle added. "Today, she is completely devastated; he was her beating heart, taken too soon. Wassem was supposed to start his studies in March, but he postponed them because his priorities were the army, his unit and the security of the state. Everyone is mourning the son and nephew we lost."
Beit Jann council head, Nazih Dabor, canceled the Eid al-Adha celebrations scheduled for Saturday and the next two days following the tragedy. Dabor described Mahmoud as "a special and brave fighter, a vibrant and kind young man who left an exemplary mark everywhere."
"Officer Wassem Mahmoud from Beit Jann joins a long list of Druze casualties who have sacrificed their lives for the security of the state since the war began," the head of the Druze community Sheikh Mowafaq Tarif said in a statement.
"The Druze community continues to pay a very heavy price, an unbearable one. Once again, we find partnership and equality in the burden and in loss on the battlefield. This partnership and equality must also exist in everyday life. The community's members should be equal partners not only in battle and mourning but also in life. May the memory of Wassem and all the fallen be forever etched in our hearts."
The IDF reported that the soldiers' armored personnel carrier – an engineering Namer – hit an explosive device near the Tel al-Sultan refugee camp. The disaster occurred around 5:15 a.m. An engineering unit attached to a Givati Brigade battalion fought with them overnight, and together, according to the IDF, they eliminated about 50 terrorists. After the operation, the unit completed its mission and was on its way to a "staging point" – a secured house where the forces were stationed.
On the way to that point, a large explosion occurred, apparently without any prior shooting. The armored vehicle, which was the fifth or sixth in the convoy, caught fire from the explosive device. It is still unclear whether the device was placed there or attached to the Namerha. It is being investigated whether it was an IED placed underneath. The vehicle burned for a long time, and rescuers could not reach it for about two hours. It was later towed to a safe location.