An Israeli soldier was killed in a bomb explosion in the West Bank

1 Jul. (EUROPA PRESS) –

An Israeli soldier was killed and another seriously injured on Monday morning in a bomb explosion in the Nur Shams refugee camp in the West Bank.

The deceased has been identified as Reserve Staff Sergeant Yehuda Geto, 22, who worked as a driver and was originally from Pardes Hanna-Karkur, according to a military statement released late Monday.

The two soldiers were inside a Panther armored personnel carrier — an armored truck — driven by Geto. The wounded soldier is a commander in the Duvdevan special operations unit, the Israeli newspaper ‘The Times of Israel’ reported.

The vehicle was stopped in an area where no explosives were expected. Soldiers from the Duvdevan unit had gotten out of the vehicle for an operation on foot when the huge explosion occurred.

The vehicle was disabled and had to be towed away from the area. The Israeli military believes the bomb was homemade and used tens of kilos of explosives.

During the extraction operation, a drone attack was attempted against a group of armed militants in the area, but the projectile did not explode. Several individuals tried to seize the projectile, which did detonate and killed a woman who was nearby, according to the Israeli military investigation.

Meanwhile, the Duvdevan commando killed a Palestinian who tried to shoot at Israeli forces. The PA Ministry of Health has confirmed two people have died in Nur Shams, a woman and a minor.

A few days ago in Jenin, one soldier was killed and 16 others were injured in a similar attack when members of Islamic Jihad detonated explosives as military vehicles passed by during a raid.