On Wednesday, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) reported the deaths of three soldiers in confrontations in the northern Gaza Strip, bringing the Israeli casualties in the ongoing ground operation in the area to a total of 164.
Among the deceased soldiers were Lieutenant Yaron Eliezer Chitiz, 23, who served as a deputy company commander in the Givati Brigade’s Shaked Battalion from Ra’anana; Staff Sergeant Itay Buton, 20, a soldier in the Shaked battalion in the Givati Brigade from Petah Tikva; and Staff Sergeant Efraim Jackman, 21, also a soldier in the Shaked battalion in the Givati Brigade, hailing from Neve Daniel.
Notably, Jackman was the eighth student from a yeshiva in the southern town of Yeruham to lose his life since the commencement of the conflict. The Times of Israel reported this development on Wednesday.
Providing an update on the close-quarters combat experienced by troops during the morning, the IDF disclosed that in the Shejaiya neighborhood of Gaza City, soldiers identified Hamas fighters moving between buildings that had directed fire at Israeli forces. Subsequently, an airstrike was called in, resulting in secondary explosions indicative of a booby-trapped area.
In another incident, soldiers observed two Hamas defenders entering a car, which then proceeded to a building recognized by the IDF as a weapons storage site. Airstrikes were deployed on the car, and a plane targeted the weapons storage location.
The IDF further reported that over the past 24 hours, 200 targets in Gaza were struck by airstrikes. Concurrently, Hamas fighters resumed their attacks on Israeli territory, with rocket sirens sounding in Nahal Oz near the Gaza border after a 16-hour lull. Fortunately, there were no reports of damage or injuries.
Since October 7, when Hamas carried out a devastating attack that claimed over 1,200 lives and triggered the war, towns near the border with Gaza have been largely evacuated of civilians. Thousands of terrorists infiltrated southern Israel from Gaza, abducting at least 240 people as hostages.
