Three Israeli soldiers were killed in the northern Gaza Strip on Monday when an explosive device that had been planted on the logistical route they were travelling through in the Jabalya area detonated beneath their Humvee.

The three soldiers were named as Staff Sergeant Lior Steinberg, aged 20, from Petah Tikva; Staff Sergeant Ofek Barhana, aged 20, from Yavne; and Staff Sergeant Omer Van Gelder, aged 22, from Ma’ale Adumim, who was a relative of Staff Sergeant (Res.) Omer Gaeldor, who was killed some six months ago in a drone strike in southern Lebanon.

Two other soldiers were moderately wounded in the incident and were evacuated to hospitals for treatment.

Following the explosion, forces were dispatched to evacuate the casualties from the area, which was rigged with additional explosives. There was no fighting during the evacuation.

An IDF official said that the five soldiers had been taking part in an operation to destroy terror infrastructure both above and below ground.

On Sunday, IDF chief Eyal Zamir ordered the expansion of the Israeli army’s ground operation in the Gaza Strip and ordered the establishment of additional aid distribution centers for the residents of Gaza. During a tour of southern Gaza, Zamir said that Hamas has lost control and that the offensive is continuing “according to a structured plan, at an adjusted pace, until all combat objectives are achieved: the return of all our hostages and the elimination of Hamas’ governing and military capabilities.”

Two days earlier, military operations had expanded in several densely populated areas in the northern part of Gaza, and the IDF declared five locations in the area as “dangerous combat zones.” IDF Arabic spokesperson Avichay Adraee issued an evacuation warning to residents of Jabalya and other nearby neighborhoods, urging them to move westward due to the presence of terrorist organizations.

Since October 7, 2023, a [confirmed] total of 861 soldiers have fallen in combat. Since Israel ended the cease-fire with Hamas on March 18, twelve soldiers and one officer from the Border Police’s undercover unit have been killed in Gaza. One soldier was also killed in an operational traffic accident in the Gaza border area after being run over by a truck, and another combat soldier was killed in a separate operational traffic accident in the Golan Heights.

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