IAF jet's stray bomb kills Lt. Shahar Ben Nun, 21

Lt. Shahar Ben Nun, 21, from Petah Tikva, a commander in the Paratroopers Reconnaissance Unit, Paratroopers Brigade, fell during combat in the southern Gaza Strip, the IDF announced Monday evening.

Shahar was killed by a bomb dropped by an Israel Air Force (IAF) fighter jet in Khan Yunis, Israeli media reported, in an incident that also wounded six other soldiers. 

This incident occurred after IAF jets attacked two targets simultaneously to assist troops fighting in Gaza. 

During the incident, a plane that was supposed to hit a target 300 m. from the troops struck an apartment near the soldiers due to a technical malfunction, resulting in Ben Nun’s death.

The IAF said there was a malfunction in the bomb’s navigation system.

Promoted to the rank of Lieutenant after death

After his death, Ben Nun was promoted from the rank of Second Lieutenant to Lieutenant. The IDF has notified his family and extended its condolences.

IDF troops in the 603rd Balltallion and the Yahalom Unit destroyed a 1.5-km.-long tunnel in which a compound was discovered containing weapons, explosives, and equipment for long-term stay, the IDF reported Monday.

The IDF soldiers used intelligence to locate the tunnel in Khan Yunis. The equipment had visibly been used by terrorists who left the compound before troops arrived.

Troops of the 7th Brigade operated in Khan Yunis and on the outskirts of Deir al-Balah, where they killed terrorists and destroyed compounds used by terrorists above and below ground. In one of the compounds, the 603rd Battalion located dozens of rockets, rocket launchers, and several anti-tank missiles.