Knesset to Probe Puma APC Failures After Gaza IED Kills 7 Soldiers

The Knesset’s Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee will hold an urgent session next week to address critical safety flaws in the Puma Armored Personnel Carrier (APC), following the deaths of seven IDF soldiers from the 605th Battalion in a Gaza Strip improvised explosive device (IED) attack on June 15, 2025. The emergency meeting, prompted by a letter from the soldiers’ grieving families, aims to investigate persistent issues with the Puma APC, used extensively in the ongoing “Swords of Iron” war, which has claimed 888 IDF lives since Hamas’s October 7, 2023, attack.

The families’ letter detailed a series of defects in the Puma, including faulty top hatch closures, inadequate ventilation systems, recurring propulsion system failures, the absence of a rear rescue hatch, and a lack of external cameras for situational awareness. They also criticized the vehicle’s weaker armor compared to other IDF APCs, such as the Namer or Achzarit, which offer superior protection against anti-tank weapons. Despite the availability of better-equipped vehicles at IDF bases, the 605th Battalion was not assigned them. The families noted that the Defense Ministry has long been aware of these issues but has failed to address or thoroughly investigate them, leaving soldiers vulnerable in combat zones like Rafah and Jabaliya, where IED attacks have surged, with 42 incidents reported in 2025 alone.

MK Limor Son Har-Melech of Otzma Yehudit, who spearheaded the session, declared, “It is inconceivable that frontline soldiers, fighting bravely and devotedly for months, should continue to operate under dangerous and faulty operational conditions. This is a failure that requires urgent investigation and immediate correction.” The Puma, a modified Centurion tank chassis introduced in the 1980s, has faced criticism for outdated design, with a 2024 IDF report noting 60% of its fleet required maintenance upgrades. Social media posts on X echoed the outrage, with one user stating, “Our soldiers deserve better than broken-down Pumas, fix this now!” The committee’s findings could push for accelerated modernization of IDF armored vehicles, amid rising casualties and public demands for accountability.