Israel Defense Forces dismantle terror infrastructure in Gaza, 7 Israeli soldiers killed

Seven Israel Defense Forces (IDF) soldiers were killed in southern Gaza on June 24. The soldiers from the 605th Combat Engineering Battalion of the 188th Armored Brigade died after an explosion struck their armored personnel carrier (APC), initial reports indicated.

The deaths in Gaza come after a ceasefire between Israel and Iran came into effect on June 24. Israel has returned to a normal routine after 12 days of war with Iran, with children returning to school and adults returning to work on June 25.

The fighting in Gaza has continued throughout the conflict with Iran and is now stretching toward its 21^st month of combat. On June 18, IDF Chief of Staff Lieutenant General Eyal Zamir spoke to IDF officers at Israel’s Southern Command and stressed the importance of Israel’s continued operations in Gaza, the IDF said. Nevertheless, the tempo of operations in Gaza appeared to have reduced as Israel focused on Iran.

The seven deaths on June 24 marked one of the largest death tolls in a single day during the war. In June 2024, eight soldiers from a combat engineering unit were killed when a Namer APC was hit with an explosion. In October 2024, eight soldiers were also killed in one day of fighting in Lebanon.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu commemorated the fallen soldiers in a statement on June 25. “On my behalf and on behalf of the citizens of Israel, I send my deepest condolences to the families who lost their dearest loved ones, and I share with them in their unbearable grief at this difficult time,” Netanyahu said.

“This is a difficult and painful morning for the nation of Israel,” IDF spokesperson Brigadier General Effie Defrin said, stating that the 605^th battalion had been operating against terror targets recently, “locating and dismantling terror tunnels and shafts, and eliminating terrorists.” Defrin said that after the explosive device was detonated, the APC caught fire, and the soldiers could not be rescued from inside. “This is a complex incident that is still under review. Once the review is complete, we will present the findings, first to the families and then to the public—this is our duty,” he added.

Defrin noted that the IDF now has four divisions operating in Gaza. This is a reduction from the five that had been operating in the territory earlier during Operation Gideon’s Chariots, which began in mid-May. There are still 50 Israeli hostages held in Gaza, Defrin stated.

The Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF), a new initiative that began delivering aid to the territory in May, said on June 25 that it had delivered 43,595,662 meals since May 26. The assistance is delivered via four locations, where it is given out in boxes to crowds of people, usually in the early morning. The GHF sites are in areas the IDF controls, and private security helps secure them, a setup designed to enable Gazans to get aid without Hamas controlling access. Usually, the GHF can deliver aid via three of the four sites at one time. GHF provided around 22 million meals between June 13 and June 25.

During the same period, the IDF conducted several types of operations in Gaza. The Givati Infantry Brigade continued searching for terrorists in the northern Gaza city of Jabaliya, which the Israeli military cleared several times in 2024. However, Hamas and other terrorist groups have returned each time the IDF left. Gideon’s Chariots is supposed to prevent Hamas re-infiltration by having Israeli troops hold areas.

The IDF said on June 18 that the Givati Infantry Brigade dismantled terrorist infrastructure in Jabaliya and found weapons, as well as eliminated terrorists. The 401^st Armored Brigade also operates in Jabaliya, and both units are under the 162^nd Division. The IDF said on June 23 that it destroyed a 2.5-kilometer tunnel in the sector.

Elsewhere in Gaza, the 646^th Reserve Paratroopers Brigade dismantled more than 500 terrorist “sites” and eliminated “dozens of terrorists,” the IDF said on June 19. The unit has been operating in Shejaiya, Daraj, and Tuffah, near Gaza City.

In a third sector, the 252^nd Reserve Division concluded its operations in northern Gaza, the IDF said on June 23. It is being replaced by the 99^th Division. These two units have often swapped roles throughout 2024, and the latest move continues this approach of having them hold the same sector. “As part of their activities, the [252^nd] division’s troops eliminated dozens of terrorists, dismantled over 6 kilometers of underground terror tunnels, as well as dozens of tunnel shafts and terrorist infrastructure that posed a threat to our troops,” the IDF said.

The IDF also continued precision air strikes in Gaza. The Israeli military said it eliminated Ibrahim Abu Shumala, who handled Hamas finances, as well as “a senior terrorist in the Kataeb al-Mujahideen terrorist organization responsible for the murder and abduction of Gadi Haggai and Judi Lynn Weinstein.” The IDF also found and recovered the body of Shay Levinson, an IDF tank commander who was killed on October 7, 2023, during Hamas’s initial attack. The terrorist group had taken Levinson’s body back to Gaza in the attack’s aftermath.

Reporting from Israel, Seth J. Frantzman is an adjunct fellow at FDD and a contributor to FDD’s Long War Journal. He is the senior Middle East correspondent and analyst at The Jerusalem Post, and author of The October 7 War: Israel’s Battle for Security in Gaza (2024).