Overview
- Reservists from the Carmeli Brigade located the rifle in a northern Gaza compound that the IDF says had been rigged with explosives.
- Combat engineers secured the site before the retrieval, with the military withholding further operational details for security reasons.
- The IDF described the find as part of ongoing efforts to dismantle Hamas infrastructure and collect evidence tied to the October 7 attacks.
- Captain Daniel Perez, a 77th Armored Battalion tank commander killed on October 7, was returned for burial about two months ago after his body was taken into Gaza.
- The military said the weapon was in good condition, and the update follows earlier returns related to Perez’s crew, including the October release of Staff Sgt. Matan Angrest and the recovery of Staff Sgt. Itay Chen’s body last month.