At least five Israeli soldiers were killed and 14 others were injured after a roadside bomb exploded in the northern Gaza Strip on Monday, media reports said.

The slain soldiers were identified as Staff Sgt. Meir Shimon Amar, 20, from Jerusalem, Sgt. Moshe Nissim Frech, 20, from Jerusalem, Staff Sgt. Noam Aharon Musgadian, 20, from Jerusalem, Staff Sgt. Moshe Shmuel Noll, 21, from Beit Shemesh,Sgt. First Class (res.) Benyamin Asulin, 28, from Haifa.

According to reports, Amar, Frech, Musgadian, and Noll served in the Kfir Brigade’s Netzah Yehuda Battalion.

Asulin was serving in the Gaza Division’s Northern Brigade.

According to an initial IDF probe, the infantry soldiers were hit by a bomb planted by terror operatives on the side of a road shortly after 10 p.m. during ground operations in Beit Hanoun, The Times of Israel reported.

At the time of the blast, the soldiers were operating on foot and were not present inside the vehicle.

Forces Came Under Attack

When attempts were made to extract the casualties, the forces reportedly came under fire.

The condition of two members, out of the fourteen, is said to be critical.

The war in Gaza began after Hamas attacked northern Israel and left 1200 people dead.

251 people were taken away as hostage.

Around 50 hostages are still held in Hamas captivity.