ALBAWABA - Eight soldiers were killed after an anti-tank missile destroyed a Namer armored personnel carrier early Saturday morning in Rafah, southern Gaza Strip, according to "Hadashot BeZman".
According to the source, military helicopters took the engineering corps soldiers' corpses to Beilinson and Shaare Zedek hospitals. The families of the fallen troops were informed.
Many Israeli social media posts describe how an anti-tank missile struck the armored vehicle about 5 AM local time, causing it to explode and catch fire, killing all eight troops inside.
Palestinian resistance factions have not yet claimed credit for the incident. Al-Aqsa TV said that Israeli troops upped their artillery and air strikes on Rafah to cover victims' exit.
Israeli helicopters, artillery, and naval troops have been bombing western Rafah since early morning, Al Jazeera's reporter said.
In retaliation, Hamas' Qassam Brigades said they had fired a "Yassin 105" shell against an Israeli D9 bulldozer in Tel Sultan, Saudi Arabia, west of Rafah. The Qassam Brigades reported heavy fighting with Israeli soldiers in Tel Sultan since Friday morning.
Moreover, the Al-Quds Brigades and Al-Nasser Salah al-Din Brigades rocketed the Kisufim military base. They also uploaded video of an Israeli soldier sniped near Netzarim, southwest of Gaza City.
The "Jerusalem Post" reported that hundreds of Israeli troops returning from Gaza had PTSD. Israeli charity "Nefesh B'Nefesh" reported over 10,000 reserve troops seeking mental health assistance.
According to group leader David Solomon, reservists and their families need more assistance as they transition from war to civilian life. Solomon said that these troops must balance their fitness for duty with family and livelihood obligations due to mental health issues.
