According to a preliminary IDF probe, three Hamas operatives launched an attack on an army encampment in the Kafr Jabalia area, on the outskirts of Gaza City’s Sheikh Radwan neighborhood at around 6 a.m. The incident took place shortly after troops had returned to the outpost following an overnight activity.

The operatives reached a tank at the entrance to the encampment and opened fire at the commander, who had his head outside the armored vehicle’s open hatch. The gunmen then hurled an explosive device inside the tank, leading to the deaths of the four soldiers, according to the initial investigation.