Israel confirms nine soldiers killed in Gaza ambush
Ten soldiers were killed fighting in northern Gaza on Tuesday, the Israel Defence Forces confirmed on Wednesday morning. Nine were killed in a coordinated Hamas ambush in Shejaya.
Israeli soldiers in Khan Yunis, in southern Gaza on Dec. 12, 2023. Photo by TPS
Seven of the nine soldiers ambushed were from the infantry Golani brigade, while the other two were from the 669 Search and Rescue Unit.
The ambush began when several Golani soldiers were fired on by terror squads. An explosive charge was detonated, and grenades were thrown, injuring the soldiers. A second group of soldiers sent to extract the injured troops was also ambushed. A third group of soldiers fought a pitched battle. The soldiers were eventually extracted with air and artillery support.
The fallen soldiers were identified as 35-year-old Lt. Col. Tomer Grinberg, who commanded Golani’s 13th Battalion, Maj. Roei Meldas, 23, Maj. Moshe Avram Bar On, 23 Sgt. Achia Daskal, 19, Capt. Liel Hayo, 22, Col. (res.) Ben Pasat, 44, and Sgt. Eran Aloni, 19. All were from the Golani Brigade.
The two fallen soldiers from unit 669 were identified as Maj. Ben Shelly, 26, and Rom Hecht, 20.
Separately, a tenth soldier identified as Sgt. Uriah Yaakov, 19, of the Engineering Corps’ 614th Battalion, was killed in combat in another area of northern Gaza.
The IDF has confirmed the deaths of 444 soldiers since Oct. 7. Of those, 115 fell during the ground offensive in Gaza which began on Oct. 27.
At least 1,200 people were killed in Hamas’s attacks on Israeli communities near the Gaza border on Oct. 7. Hamas currently holds 137 men, women, children, soldiers and foreigners captive in Gaza. Some people remain unaccounted for as Israeli authorities continue to identify bodies and search for human remains.
