- Four IDF troops were killed and three others injured when their Hummer struck a roadside bomb in Rafah city.
- In a separate attack near the Allenby (King Hussein) Crossing, two Israelis were killed by a Jordanian aid truck driver.
The IDF have confirmed that four troops were killed when a roadside bomb exploded in Rafah city. The dead include one officer and three soldiers.
According to the army, they served with the Dekel Battalion. Three other soldiers were injured in the same blast.
The explosion occurred when their Hummer transport vehicle struck an improvised explosive device. Military observers noted that the area had been scanned using advanced technology, but Palestinian fighters have shown skill in planting IEDs between sweeps.
The dead soldiers were identified as Major Omri Chai Ben Moshe, 26, Lieutenant Ron Arieli, 20, Lieutenant Eitan Avner Ben Itzhak, 22, and Lieutenant Eran Shelem, 23.
In a separate attack, two Israelis were killed in a shooting near the border crossing with Jordan. The incident took place on Thursday near the Allenby, also known as King Hussein, Crossing.
Israel’s national ambulance service MDA said the men were aged 20 and 60. Both were declared dead at the scene.
Army Radio reported that the attacker was “neutralised” but gave no further details. Public broadcaster KAN claimed the assailant was a Jordanian citizen transporting humanitarian aid to Gaza.
The daily Yedioth Ahronoth, citing security sources, said the man was an aid truck driver. According to the report, he stabbed the Israelis after an exchange of gunfire. Troops launched searches in the area and encircled the city of Jericho in the Jordan Valley.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu later told Channel 14 that the men who died were IDF soldiers.
Jordan’s Public Security Directorate announced that passenger movement across the crossing was suspended after Israel shut the terminal. The Foreign Ministry in Amman said it had opened an investigation. In its statement, the ministry reaffirmed Jordan’s “steady position condemning all acts of violence and rejecting all illegal actions that harm Jordan’s interests, role, and the delivery of aid to the Gaza Strip.”
Authorities also said they were monitoring drivers who crossed into Gaza with aid to ensure their immediate and safe return to Jordan.
Following the attack, Israel suspended the transfer of humanitarian supplies from Jordan to Gaza. Public broadcaster KAN reported that even limited shipments were halted.
Meanwhile, the IDF has continued its brutal genocide in Gaza with impunity. Since October 2023, more than 65,100 Palestinians have been murdered, carpet-bombed, starved, tortured and imprisoned. Many have encountered public humiliation, sexual assault and rape.
