Two reservists killed in IDF drone explosion accident during operations in Gaza

Two IDF reservists were killed Thursday after a small explosive drone they were operating in the Gaza Strip crashed for an unknown reason and exploded shortly afterward, the military announced on Friday.

The troops were named as Master Sgt. (res.) Nadav Kali, 24, from Har Halutz, and Master Sgt. (res.) Ofek Moalem, 23, from Jerusalem.

Both served in the Jerusalem Brigade’s 7007th Battalion.

According to a preliminary investigation by the military, the two soldiers had been operating first-person view (FPV) drones known as “Atalef” — Hebrew for bat — from an army post inside the military’s Gaza buffer zone in the Strip’s north.

A first drone carried out its intended mission, while a second, during takeoff, crashed inside the army post for an as-yet-unknown reason. The soldiers approached the crashed drone several minutes later, picked it up, and it then exploded, fatally wounding them, according to the initial probe.

The pair were taken to Barzilai Medical Center in Ashkelon, where their deaths were declared.

Amid the investigation into the cause of the crash and explosion, the military has temporarily grounded all small drones capable of carrying explosive payloads — both suicide drones and those that drop their explosives on a target. A new assessment will be held in the next few days.

IDF Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Eyal Zamir has ordered the establishment of a panel of experts to investigate the deadly accident.

The team will be headed by a brigadier general from the Ground Forces, and it will “examine the circumstances of the incident in order to prevent similar incidents from recurring in the future,” the army said.

Israeli forces continue to control some 60 percent of Gaza’s territory following the devastating war in the enclave, which began on October 7, 2023, with the Hamas-led invasion of southern Israel.

The military has continued to carry out near-daily strikes on terror operatives, claiming it is targeting violations of the ceasefire and attempts to rebuild Hamas capabilities.

IDF strikes this week killed 2 Hamas operatives, including one who took part in Oct. 7 and held hostages

Later on Friday, the IDF announced that it killed two Hamas operatives in airstrikes earlier this week, including a terrorist who invaded Israel on October 7, 2023, and held hostages in captivity

A Wednesday in Gaza City killed Hassan Mahmoud Siam, who the IDF said was a Hamas commander who invaded Israel during the October 7 onslaught.

During the war, Siam was also involved in holding hostages Amit Soussana, Keith and Aviva Siegel, and Dafna Elyakim in captivity, the military said.

A separate strike in Gaza City on Tuesday killed Adham Sohbi Salim Ziara, also a Hamas member.

The IDF said both operatives had been advancing attacks and restoring Hamas infrastructure “in systematic violation of the ceasefire agreement.”

“As part of these efforts, the terrorists were involved in plans to fire at our forces and in planting explosive devices in the area of the Yellow Line,” the IDF said, referring to the ceasefire dividing line that splits the Strip into an eastern half controlled by the IDF and a western half currently controlled by Hamas.

IDF warns it will keep targeting Hamas moneymen in Gaza; 16 killed so far

Later on Friday, the IDF said it had killed two other Hamas operatives in Thursday strikes, with one of those targeted allegedly responsible for smuggling funds to the terror group.

One strike in central Gaza’s Deir al-Balah killed Jabr Moqbel, identified by the IDF as a Hamas member and head of the “Moqbel” money exchange network, “which transferred millions of shekels in foreign currency to Hamas.”

“These funds are used by Hamas to finance terrorists, restore military infrastructure, and advance attacks against IDF troops,” the army said.

Another strike on Thursday in southern Gaza’s Khan Younis killed Hasan al-Batta, identified by the IDF as a Hamas sniper operative.

Both operatives were involved in advancing attacks and restoring Hamas capabilities “in systematic violation of the ceasefire,” the military says, adding that they were killed “to remove the threat.”

The IDF pledged to continue targeting Hamas members involved in financing the terror group’s military wing.

Since the start of the war, the IDF says that it has killed 16 “key” Hamas financial officers, involved in transferring more than $1 billion in funds to the terror group and financing its military activities, “using a network of dozens of money changers in Turkey and the Gaza Strip.”

Israeli troops destroy mile-long Hamas tunnel in IDF-held portion of Gaza Strip

The IDF separately said that its troops had razed a two-kilometer (1.2 miles) tunnel in the IDF-held portion of the Gaza Strip.

The IDF said it came amid efforts to clear the areas of the Strip under Israeli control of Hamas infrastructure.

Hamas commander killed, Israeli civilians blocked

On Thursday, the military said a Hamas commander who held seven Israeli hostages in captivity during the war had been killed in a strike in Gaza City over the weekend.

The strike killed Mahmoud Abd al-Fattah Awad, who the military said held hostages Daniella Gilboa, Karina Ariev, Doron Steinbrecher, Naama Levy, Ziv Berman, Omri Miran, and Eitan Mor in a tunnel in Gaza City.

Recently, the Hamas commander had planned and advanced attacks on troops and Israeli civilians, and acted to restore Hamas capabilities in “violation of the ceasefire,” the military said.

The military also said troops detained several Israeli civilians who attempted to cross into the Strip.

Their motive was not immediately clear.

According to the IDF, the civilians crossed a security barrier and entered a buffer zone inside Israeli territory on the border.

Troops dispatched to the scene detained them and brought them back through the fence.

The IDF’s Gaza border fence is built several dozen meters inside Israeli territory, and the military said the Israeli civilians never entered the Strip itself.

“The IDF is focused on its defensive mission in the Gaza Strip and emphasizes that the area adjacent to the barrier is designated as a closed military zone, and entry into it is strictly prohibited. Arriving at this area endangers the safety of civilians and IDF troops operating in the area,” the military says.

There have been several instances of settler activists attempting to enter the enclave as part of an effort to establish new Jewish communities inside the territory.

After months of negotiations, Hamas agreed to the US-led Board of Peace’s disarmament plan on July 30, but its implementation has stalled amid Israel’s rejection of the proposal. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has insisted that the IDF will only withdraw once Hamas has been completely disarmed, rejecting the gradual and reciprocal framework envisioned in the proposal.

Board of Peace officials believe Netanyahu is refusing to cooperate ahead of the upcoming Israeli election on October 27 and acknowledge little progress is likely before then.

The war between Israel and Hamas has killed over 73,400 people in Gaza, including more than 1,330 since the October 2025 ceasefire, according to the Hamas-run health ministry in the enclave, although the toll does not differentiate between combatants and civilians.

The Israeli military believes that Hamas’s overall toll is largely accurate, with IDF officials estimating that two to three civilians were killed for every dead terror operative.

The IDF says it has killed over 24,000 combatants in Gaza and another 1,200 terrorists inside Israel during the October 7 onslaught.

Israel has said it seeks to minimize civilian fatalities and stresses that Hamas uses Gaza’s civilians as human shields, fighting from civilian areas including homes, hospitals, schools, and mosques.

Israel’s toll in the ground offensive against Hamas in Gaza and in military operations along the border with the Strip stands at 479.