Israel has already counted at least 14 soldiers dead inside the Gaza Strip, after the beginning of land incursions against terrorist group Hamas, on the weekend. The majority, however, died on Tuesday (31st), the Army reported this Wednesday (1st).
According to local press, at least seven soldiers from the Guivati unit were killed after the vehicle they were in was hit by an anti-tank missile fired by the terrorists. Four soldiers were injured in the action.
Two other soldiers were killed when their tank ran over an explosive device.
“We are in a difficult war. It will be a long war. We have important achievements in it, but also painful losses”, declared this Wednesday the Prime Minister of Israel, Benjamin Netanyahuabout the death of soldiers.
“The entire nation of Israel embraces you, the families, from the bottom of our hearts. We are all with you in this time of great sadness. Our soldiers fell in an unjust war, the war for our home. I promise you, citizens of Israel: we will finish the job, we will continue until victory”, he added.
In turn, Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant said that “the loss of Defense Force fighters in the battles against Hamas terrorists in Gaza is a hard and painful blow.”
“Unfortunately, the important achievements of the powerful fighters deep in the Gaza Strip come at a high price. We are prepared and ready for a long and complex campaign that requires courage, determination and perseverance”, analyzed Gallant.
In addition to the 11 most recent victims, two soldiers, Lev Livshitz and Roi Wolf, had been killed the night before.
See the list of names:
1. Sergeant Lev Livshitz, 20
2. Sergeant Roi Wolf, 20
3. Lieutenant Ariel Reich, 24
4. Corporal Asif Logar, 21
5. Sergeant Adi Danan, 20
6. Sergeant Hillel Solomon, 20
7. Sergeant Erez Mishlovski, 20
8. Sergeant Adi Leon, 20
9. Cape Ido Ovadia, 19
10. Corporal Lior Siminowitz, 19 years old
11. Sergeant Roi Daoui, 20 years old
12. 2nd Lieutenant Pedayah Mark, 22
13. Sergeant Itai Yehuda, 21
14. Sergeant Roi Sargosti, 20
Soldier Tamir Barak, 19, was killed near the Gaza Strip fenceon October 23, when the Army was carrying out an operation in search of military bodies that could have been taken during the Hamas attack at the beginning of the month.
The Israeli army said on Wednesday that it had struck more than 11,000 Hamas targets in the Gaza Strip since the start of the war.
“Overnight, combined Israel Defense Forces troops struck several terrorist targets throughout the Gaza Strip, including operational command centers and Hamas terrorist cells,” a military spokesman explained on Wednesday.
The war between Israel and Hamas began on October 7, with an attack by the Palestinian Islamic group on Israeli soil which resulted in 1,400 deaths, more than 5,400 injuries and 240 hostages taken to the Gaza Strip.
In total, 326 Israeli soldiers were killed in 26 days of fighting, most of them during the Hamas attack on October 7.
Since then, the Israeli Army has been bombing the Gaza Strip in reprisal and, on Friday (27), expanded ground operations. Deaths on the Palestinian side have now exceeded 8,500, in addition to 21,500 injuries, according to local authorities.
