Soldiers from the IDF.

The encirclement began shortly after five IDF soldiers were killed and an additional 14 wounded due to a Hamas ambush and several IEDs in the area.

The Givati Brigade and troops from the 99th Division have begun operations to encircle Beit Hanun in the northern Gaza Strip, the IDF announced Wednesday.

Under the command of 162nd Division, soldiers have been working to kill terrorists, as well as dismantle infrastructure and damage Hamas' military capabilities in the area.

The Israel Air Force reportedly conducted a “fire belt,” or continuous gunfire followed by airstrikes, in the area, as well as additional airstrikes in Gaza City, according to Palestinian reports.

The encirclement began shortly after five IDF soldiers were killed and an additional 14 wounded due to a Hamas ambush and several improvised explosive devices (IEDs) in the area on Monday.

Beit Hanun is a strategic location for Hamas and other terror groups

Beit Hanun is in the buffer zone. The Gaza town, which is very close to the Israeli city of Sderot, has long been a hot spot for terrorists, often used by Hamas and other groups to launch rockets at Israel.

The IDF operated in Beit Hanun many times during the 640 days of the Israel-Hamas War.

Most of the city has been badly damaged or destroyed in the war.

Although D-9 armored bulldozers and other vehicles have combed through essentially all of Beit Hanun and northern Gaza multiple times so far, by setting the IED in the last 24 hours before the soldiers entered, Hamas was able to avoid the early detection or destruction of the IEDs by these explosive-clearing vehicles.

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Five IDF soldiers killed, 14 wounded in explosive Hamas ambush in Beit Hanun

IDF announces the names of five fallen soldiers from the Kfir Brigade, killed in Beit Hanoun in the Gaza Strip, July 8, 2025. 

During the evacuation of the wounded, the soldiers encountered gunfire, leading to 14 soldiers being wounded in varying degrees of severity.

The IDF on Tuesday morning said that five soldiers, most of them from the Netzah Yehuda Battalion in the Kfir Brigade, were killed by an explosive device in Beit Hanun in northern Gaza.

According to the report, the soldiers killed in the incident were St.-Sgt. Meir Shimon Amar, Sgt. Moshe Nissim Frech, and St.-Sgt. Noam Aharon Musgadian, all 20 years old from Jerusalem; Sgt.-Maj. Benyamin Asulin, 28, from Haifa; and St.-Sgt. Moshe Shmuel Noll, 21, from Beit Shemesh.

The soldiers were killed when explosive devices were detonated when their force entered the area.

During the evacuation of the wounded, soldiers encountered gunfire, leading to 14 of them being wounded in varying degrees of severity. They were evacuated by helicopter for medical treatment at various hospitals across Israel.

The Netzah Yehuda Association expressed its condolences, stating: “We bow our heads in honor of the fallen soldiers of the Netzah Yehuda Battalion who gave their lives in battle in the northern Gaza Strip.

“With broken hearts, we stand alongside the families in mourning the loss of their brave sons – fighters who selflessly risked their lives for the people of Israel,” the association said.

Hamas managed to set improvised explosive devices (IEDs) to detonate in between IDF air and artillery fire

According to the military, there was heavy air cover and artillery fire in the areas where IDF Netzach Yehuda infantry fighters were due to traverse, both in the days before the soldiers entered Beit Hanun in northern Gaza up until only a few hours before.

Despite those efforts to pave a safe path for the infantry, Hamas managed to place newly laid IEDs in the area where the soldiers would later pass through after an earlier round of munitions was fired into the area and before the last round was fired.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu mourned the loss of the five Kfir Brigade soldiers, offering his condolences to the families.

“On this difficult morning, the entire People of Israel bows its head in mourning for the fall of our heroic fighters, who risked their lives in the battle to defeat Hamas and free all our hostages,” Netanyahu said.

“We embrace the families who have lost their dearest ones, and we pray for the complete recovery of the wounded in the incident. Their sacrifice and bravery will be etched in our hearts forever.”

Defense Minister Israel Katz also offered his condolences, writing, “Moshe, Noam, Meir, Benjamin, and Moshe fought heroically and courageously against the Hamas murderers to protect the citizens of Israel and bring back our hostage brothers and sisters.

“I want to express my heartfelt sympathy to the families. A whole nation embraces you,” he said. “May their memory be a blessing.”

President Isaac Herzog stated, “The heartbreaking news of the fall of five heroic sons in Gaza – most of them fighters from the haredi (ultra-Orthodox) battalion ‘Netzah Yehuda’ – pierces the heart.

“Our heroic sons continue to fight day and night with bravery, facing unimaginable human challenges. It is our sacred duty to learn all necessary lessons to protect the lives of our brave fighters – even deep in the heart of battle.”

Herzog said that he was praying for the recovery of the wounded soldiers and sent his condolences to the grieving families.

Opposition leader and chairman of the Yesh Atid Party Yair Lapid called it “a difficult and painful morning with the deaths of five IDF soldiers in Gaza. The entire State of Israel mourns with the families.” He also wished a quick recovery for those wounded.

Democrats chairman MK Yair Golan mourned the loss of the soldiers while calling for a hostage deal and an end to the war that has seen the deaths of many IDF soldiers.

“A difficult morning with the news of the fall of five fighters last night in a battle in the northern Gaza Strip.

“It has already been 641 days that [the remaining] 50 hostages have been held by Hamas. It has already been 21 months that our sons and daughters have been fighting in the Gaza Strip. Today, we must implement a comprehensive hostage exchange deal, bring back our brothers and sisters, and end the war.”

National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir called the loss an “unfathomable pain” and said that the soldiers “gave their lives so that we can continue to live here.”

“No words can describe the pain. Sending condolences and a big hug – to the families and friends. And praying for the recovery of the wounded and the safety of the soldiers,” Ben-Gvir said.

Blue and White chairman MK Benny Gantz said he “is with the grieving families in this difficult hour” and wished a speedy recovery to the wounded.

“Another difficult morning in which an entire nation mourns the loss of five heroes, the best of our sons, who fell to secure our future and our safety.”