Four Israeli Defense Forces soldiers serving in the Oz Brigade were killed in action in the southern Gaza Strip, the IDF announced Sunday morning.

The soldiers were identified as Capt. Ido Baruch, 21, from Tel Mond, a squad commander in the commando training school who served in the Egoz Unit; Sgt. Amitai Even Shoshan, 20, from Azriel, who was undergoing training in the commando training school; Sgt. Reef Harush, 20, from Kibbutz Ramat David, who was undergoing training in the commando training school; and Sgt. Ilai Zair, 20, from Keidar who was undergoing training in the commando training school.

Israeli media reported that the incident occurred in northern Khan Yunis on Saturday. According to reports, as troops and tanks were searching the area, terrorists emerged from an underground shaft within the rubble and opened fire at the soldiers.

Three soldiers were killed instantly. Another soldier was critically wounded and later succumbed to his injuries in the hospital.

The terrorists managed to escape through the shaft. The remaining IDF troops, having detected explosives in the vicinity and identified the threat, chose not to pursue the attackers further.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu shared his condolences following the deadly attacks.

“On behalf of myself and the citizens of Israel, I send heartfelt condolences to their families and to all the families that have lost loved ones in this difficult war,” he stated.

“On October 7, Hamas launched a murderous attack against the State of Israel and its citizens. We will never forget the horrific crimes of the Hamas monsters, who still hold hostage 133 of our brothers and sisters. As of today, we have returned 124 hostages and we are committed to returning them all home,” he continued.