The rescue forces that arrived struggled to extinguish the blaze, as the field equipment proved insufficient for a fire of that magnitude.By Hezy Laing, World Israel NewsThe tragedy in Khan Yunis, in which seven soldiers from the 605th Combat Engineering Battalion were killed, resulted from two major failures: a terrorist who managed to approach the APC and attach an incendiary device, and a rescue attempt that faltered due to the intense fire surrounding the vehicle.According to a preliminary investigation, the soldiers were on operational duty inside a Puma APC in Khan Yunis when a terrorist was able to approach at point-blank range and plant an incendiary charge on the vehicle.The resulting explosion caused a massive fire that rapidly engulfed the APC, trapping the soldiers inside. At that point, however, they still could have been saved.This marked the start of the second failure. The rescue forces that arrived struggled to extinguish the blaze, as the field equipment proved insufficient for a fire of that magnitude.As a result, the “sand procedure” was implemented—using shovels to sweep and pour sand onto the APC in an attempt to smother the flames.However, due to concerns that the operation would endanger the rescuers, a decision was made to tow the APC—with the trapped soldiers still inside—to a safer location. This significantly extended the rescue timeline.By the time the APC reached the secure area, it was too late to save those inside.Armored vehicles like the Puma APC are typically equipped with internal fire suppression systems.However, these systems can be overwhelmed by large fuel-spray fires or explosions, particularly if the blast compromises the vehicle’s structure or ignites fuel or munitions inside.In this incident, the fire was so intense that even combat firefighters and an armored bulldozer, which tried to cover the vehicle with sand, were unable to put it out in time.The blaze was only subdued after the APC was towed back into Israel—highlighting the inadequacy of the available firefighting tools and suppression systems to manage a fire of such scale and ferocity.The post Analysis: The failures that led to the deaths of seven IDF soldiers in Khan Yunis appeared first on World Israel News.