An ammunition explosion inside an Israeli Merkava tank killed three soldiers from the 401st Armoured Brigade and wounded a fourth on Monday in Jabalia, northern Gaza, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said.
The dead were identified as Staff Sgt. Shoham Menahem, Sgt. Shlomo Yakir Shrem and Sgt. Yuliy Faktor. Initial rumours of an anti-tank missile strike were dismissed by the army, but Palestinian fighters claimed they had targeted the vehicle.
The incident raises Israel’s combat death toll in Gaza to 454 since the war began in October 2023 and 44 since major operations resumed in March. At least 13 soldiers have been killed so far in July.
Hours earlier, a conscript who had served in Gaza died by suicide at a Golan Heights base — the third such case in 10 days, according to Israeli media, bringing the military’s 2025 suicide toll to at least 15.
Senior Hamas-Era Official Killed
Israeli air-strikes on Tuesday hit multiple sites across the strip, killing former justice minister Mohammed Faraj al-Ghoul in Gaza City. Born in Rafah in 1957, al-Ghoul sat in the Palestinian Legislative Council, headed the prisoners’ portfolio and led a committee that monitored UN investigations into previous Gaza wars. Rights groups say dozens of lawmakers and local officials have died in Israeli strikes since 7 October.
Wider Offensive and Diplomatic Fallout
The IDF said it also struck Gaza City’s Zeitoun district, al-Shati and Jabalia camps, and other targets. Gaza’s health ministry puts the Palestinian death toll at 58,386 since the conflict erupted.
In Brussels, EU foreign-policy chief Kaja Kallas presented member states with 10 options to penalise Israel for human-rights breaches, ranging from trade curbs to an arms embargo, but diplomats signalled no consensus is likely. Arab ministers criticised the lack of progress on aid access despite a recent deal to open additional crossings.
Israel has enforced a stringent siege on Gaza since March, forcing long queues for food and worsening hunger across the enclave.