4 Israeli soldiers killed, 5 injured in southern Gaza Strip, Israeli media reports

Four Israeli soldiers were killed and five others were injured on Friday morning in an explosion at a building in the Bani Suheila neighborhood of Khan Younis, southern Gaza, the Times of Israel reported, citing the Israeli army.

“The building was booby-trapped, and the explosion caused the structure to collapse on the soldiers,” the army was quoted as saying.

The military identified two of the slain soldiers as Sgt. Maj. (res.) Chen Gross, 33, of the Maglan commando unit and Staff Sgt. Yoav Raver, 19, of the Yahalom combat engineering unit.

The names of the other two soldiers will be released later, it added.

“Five soldiers were severely and moderately wounded in an explosion that caused a building collapse in Khan Younis,” the daily Yedioth Ahronoth reported, citing the army.

It added that “among the five, a Maglan officer was severely wounded and four additional soldiers were moderately wounded.”