Terrifying Rumors Shook Soldiers' Families After Deadly Beit Hanoun Blast

Before official word was released about the deadly explosion at Beit Hanoun that killed five Israeli soldiers, rumors of casualties and injuries had already spread widely on social media, leaving families in turmoil.

A gag order was in place, but Sderot residents had already reported hearing massive explosions, seeing flares and helicopters lighting up the sky last night.

Mothers of soldiers serving in Gaza described the intense emotional toll of misinformation and unconfirmed reports circulating online. Attorney Iris Shapira, whose son serves in an elite unit, told ynet that the premature reports sent her and many others into a state of panic. “Before details were clear—location, unit, operation—we were already hearing about dead and wounded,” she said. “It’s unbearable to endure this chaos on top of the constant stress of having a child in combat.”

The official announcement of the losses “feels like a punch to the gut every time,” Shapira added, urging an end to the conflict and a swift return of hostages and soldiers.

Vered Pima, mother of two soldiers—one in Gaza and another in Lebanon—described the sleepless nights and relentless anxiety she and her family face. “When you hear partial reports, your mind races, trying to connect the dots and find out if it’s your child’s unit,” she said. “It’s terrifying.”

The five soldiers killed in the explosion on a Hamas booby-trapped site were Staff Sergeant Meir Shimon Amar, Corporal Moshe Nissim Frech, Staff Sergeant (res.) Binyamin Asoulin, Corporal Noam Aharon Masgadian, and Corporal Moshe Shmuel Noll. Fourteen others were wounded, two seriously.

One soldier at the scene recounted the heart-wrenching moment they saw Asoulin’s cellphone ring as his mother called him. “We looked at each other in silence. His phone showed ‘Mom’ on the screen,” he said.

Asoulin’s mother recalled the agonizing wait. “I called him again and again but got no answer. At two in the morning, when the army came to our door, I knew,” she said.

Families continue to grapple with the pain of loss amid ongoing military operations and a flood of rumors that intensify their anguish. A soldier, who was part of the team responding to last night's disaster, posted on his Instagram:

"Emergency call-up. Mass casualty incident.

We’re deploying as fast as we can, trying to gather more details.

A severe event in northern Gaza. Many wounded. It’s not yet clear if there are fatalities.

Suddenly, a WhatsApp message pops up: “Serious incident in Gaza…”

What’s going on here? Telegram is buzzing too. People are posting numbers, locations, names.

How does everyone already know if the incident is still unfolding??

We arrive at the scene. Most of the fallen have already been evacuated.

One body remains, waiting for treatment—and then his phone rings in his pocket.

We look at each other. Roee goes to silence it. On the screen: “Mom” 💔

The soldiers start whispering names. “I heard it’s A., from B.’s company. Shame, he was a great guy.”

“Enough!” I hush them. “Don’t spread anything before an official announcement.

This is a matter of life and death. You have no idea what this does to the families.”

Just one small request from someone on the front line:

Be the link that breaks the WhatsApp chain.

Believe me—you don’t want to be next to a bereaved family when the news breaks.

It’s hard enough getting that knock on the door from three officers.

No one should ever get that message from a group text.

If you see a message like that, ask the sender to delete it.

If someone posts an unverified report, warn others and ask them not to share it.

I can only imagine what a mother goes through when her son is in Gaza

and she starts getting messages like these. It’s seven levels of hell.

Our words have power, as we read in this week’s Torah portion, *Balak*—

to curse or to bless.

Let’s take that seriously.

Let’s protect the families.

Let’s break the chain of unverified messages.

This is *pikuach nefesh*—a matter of life and death."