Three IDF troops killed, officer seriously wounded in northern Gaza tank blast

Three Israeli troops were killed and an officer was wounded when the tank they were in was hit by a blast in the northern Gaza Strip on Monday, the military announced, Report informs referring to The Times of Israel.

Investigators were trying to piece together what caused the deadly blast, which came amid ongoing fighting with the Hamas terror group in the north of the enclave, but may have been the result of an operational error.

Three fatalities were named as Staff Sgt. Shoham Menahem, 21, from Yardena, Sgt. Shlomo Yakir Shrem, 20, from Efrat and Sgt. Yuliy Faktor, 19, from Rishon Lezion.

The officer, who was not named, was hospitalized in serious condition, the army said.

All four troops were serving with the 401st Armored Brigade’s 52nd Battalion.

According to an initial IDF probe, the soldiers were in a tank that was hit by an explosion in the northern Gaza city of Jabalia at around noon Monday.

The IDF initially suspected the tank was hit by a Hamas rocket propelled grenade. However, in the hours following the incident, the military increasingly came to believe the explosion may have been caused by a malfunctioning shell that detonated inside the turret.

Other causes of the explosion were being investigated, the military said.