Jake Burkons, a dual national of Israel and the United States (Texas), served in Company D of the 603rd Combat Engineering Battalion, part of the 7th Armoured Brigade of the Israeli army.
The 603rd Combat Engineering Battalion has emerged, through extensive documentation, as a central operational unit in the widespread destruction of civilian infrastructure across Gazza.
Burkons himself published visual evidence on his social media accounts showing his presence inside Gazza, including in Khan Younis and Rafah. In one instance, he is seen holding a detonation cable inside a destroyed civilian building alongside fellow soldiers, indicating active participation in a controlled demolition. In another, he shared footage of such a demolition operation, geo-tagged to Khan Younis and marked with his company’s insignia
