4 Soldiers Killed in Clashes in Southern Gaza Strip

By Yoni Weiss

The IDF reported on Sunday the deaths of four soldiers, Hy”d, during clashes with the Palestinian terror group Hamas in the southern Gaza Strip the previous day.

The fallen soldiers were identified as:

• Captain Ido Baruch, 21, a commander at the Commando Brigade’s training base, from Tel Mond.
• Sergeant Amitai Even Shoshan, 20, of the Commando Brigade’s training base, from Azri’el.
• Sergeant Ilai Zair, 20, of the Commando Brigade’s training base, from Kedar.
• Sergeant Re’ef Harush, 20, of the Commando Brigade’s training base, from Kibbutz Ramat David.

Their deaths brought the toll of slain troops in the ground offensive against Hamas to 260.

According to an initial military investigation, the four soldiers were killed on Shabbos when terrorists emerged from a tunnel in a demolished building and opened fire on troops patrolling along the IDF’s logistics route in Khan Yunis. The terrorists managed to escape back into the tunnel.

Soldiers attempting to pursue the terrorists discovered that the escape route was booby-trapped, leading them to hold back.

In a separate incident on Shabbos, a tank from the 401st Armored Brigade’s 46th Battalion came under RPG fire in the central Gaza Strip. Although there were no injuries, the tank returned fire, resulting in casualties among the terrorists, as per the IDF’s investigation.

Additionally, two soldiers from the 401st Armored Brigade’s 46th Battalion were seriously wounded in the central Gaza Strip on Shabbos. The injuries occurred in an incident involving a tank shell that detonated inside their vehicle, according to initial IDF findings.