Military vehicles maneuvering in Gaza, seen from the Israeli side of the border, on Sept. 23, 2026. (Credit: Amir Cohen/Reuters)
A military source told AFP that an explosion of an Israeli army drone Friday killed two reserve soldiers in Gaza. The army announced their deaths.
"The [Israeli miliatry] drone crashed at a military post in the Gaza Strip but did not explode. The soldiers approached the drone, which exploded moments later," the official said.
"The incident is under review," the source added.
The army identified the soldiers as Nadav Kali, aged 24, and Ofek Moalem, 23, from its 7007th Battalion, 16th Brigade.
The deaths bring the number of Israeli soldiers who died in Gaza to 970 since the start of the war, which was launched in response to the Hamas attacks against Israel on Oct. 7, 2023 that killed more than 1,200 people. Israel's military campaign in Gaza has killed nearly 74,000 Palestinian people, according to Gaza's Health Ministry, whose figures are considered reliable by the United Nations.
Of the 970 Israeli soldiers who died, seven have died since the start of a cease-fire last year.
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