IDF eliminates Hamas terrorists behind deadly Khan Yunis attack

Airstrike kills two terrorists responsible for murder of seven Israeli soldiers inside an armored vehicle last week in southern Gaza.

By David Brummer, World Israel News

The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) announced that two Hamas terrorists responsible for the June 24 killing of seven Israeli soldiers in Khan Yunis were eliminated in an airstrike last Thursday, Israel National News reported.

According to the IDF, Israeli Air Force (IAF) aircraft—guided by the Israel Security Agency (Shin Bet) and the 188th Armored Brigade—struck and killed Musab Yaser Abdallah Jilban and Abd al-Latif Musa Hajjaj Barbah in the southern Gaza city.

“These two terrorists played a direct role in the murder of our soldiers,” the military said in a statement, naming the fallen troops as Lieutenant Matan Shai Yashinovski; Staff Sergeants Alon Davidov, Ronel Ben-Moshe, and Niv Radia; and Sergeants Ronen Shapiro, Shahar Manoav, and Maayan Baruch Pearlstein.

The soldiers were killed while operating in Khan Yunis as part of a wider offensive led by the 188th Brigade.

Preliminary findings from a military investigation, first reported by Army Radio correspondent Doron Kadosh, revealed that the soldiers had temporarily taken cover in a Puma armored personnel carrier (APC) ahead of a nearby Israeli airstrike.

The investigation concluded that, while the soldiers were inside the vehicle, a terrorist rapidly approached, climbed onto the APC, and threw an explosive device inside.

Contrary to early speculation, the explosive was not planted in advance or attached to the vehicle but rather introduced at the last moment in a direct and deadly attack.

The IDF clarified that the troops had followed protocol, taking shelter in the armored vehicle to avoid shrapnel or structural debris from an incoming airstrike.

Not long before the explosion, another unit in the same battalion had come under fire from an RPG and an explosive device, resulting in two additional injuries—one serious and one light.

The military vowed to continue operations against terrorist groups in the Gaza Strip, saying, “The IDF will not rest until all those responsible for harming our soldiers and civilians are brought to justice.”

The incident marked one of the deadliest single attacks on Israeli forces in Gaza during the ongoing conflict.