The IDF’s initial investigation into the tragic incident in Gaza on Monday in which six soldiers were killed found that an IDF tank shelling accidentally caused the explosion.

Soldiers from the Combat Engineering Corps’ Yahalom unit were in a Hamas tunnel system in al-Bureij preparing it for demolition. The investigation showed that while the soldiers were still in the tunnel, a nearby IDF tank fired at a suspicious target and one shell hit an electrical pole. The resulting blast triggered the detonator cord, causing the tunnel to explode prior to the scheduled detonation time.

The incident is still under investigation.

Three soldiers were seriously injured in the blast.

(YWN Israel Desk – Jerusalem)