An IDF soldier was killed and another soldier was seriously wounded when a roadside bomb exploded during a counterterrorism operation near Tulkarm on Monday morning, the IDF announced on Monday evening.

The soldier was identified as Sgt. First Class (res.) Yehuda Geto, H’YD, 22, from Pardes Chana-Karkur.

Geto, z’l, was driving an armored personnel carrier in Nur Shams, a Palestinian “refugee camp” near Tulkarm, when a large bomb exploded.

Kan News reported that an initial investigation showed that the road they were traveling on had not been “scraped” by armored bulldozers to uncover hidden explosives, contrary to regulations. The IDF said that there was no suspicion that there were hidden explosives on the route they were traveling on.

The charge, which was activated remotely, was improvised and contained dozens of kilograms of explosives.

Islamic Jihad later claimed responsibility for the attack.

(YWN Israel Desk – Jerusalem)