Illustrative image.
A reserve soldier of the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) was killed and three others were wounded during fighting in the northern Gaza Strip on April 24.
According to an initial IDF probe, the slain soldier, who served in the 14th Reserve Armored Brigade’s 79th Battalion, was outside his tank when he was hit by sniper fire in the Beit Hanoun area, close to one of the military’s posts in the Israeli-held buffer zone.
Other troops who were standing nearby were hit by anti-tank fire, the military said, adding that the cell behind the attack apparently managed to flee.
A reservist in the 79th Battalion and an officer in the elite Yahalom combat engineering were seriously wounded by the anti-tank fire. Another reservist, in the Gaza Division’s Northern Brigade’s 8239th Battalion, was moderately hurt.
This was the second time an Israeli soldier was killed in Gaza since the IDF renewed its offensive in the Strip on March 18, shattering a ceasefire-hostage agreement that was brokered by the United States, Egypt and Qatar last January.
On April 19 a soldier was killed and five others were wounded, including three seriously, in an ambush claimed by the al-Qassam Brigades, the military wing of the Gaza-ruling Hamas Movement. The deadly ambush also took place in Beit Hanoun.
The last deadly attack came as IDF Chief of Staff Lieutenant General Eyal Zamir was visiting Israeli troops operating in Gaza.
During the visit, the senior officer warned that the military will significantly expand its offensive against Hamas if a new ceasefire-hostage agreement is not reached soon.
“We are continuing with the operational pressure and tightening the ring around Hamas as needed, and if we see no progress in the return of the hostages, we will expand our activities to an intense and even more significant move, until we reach the defeat [of Hamas],” Zamir said.
“Hamas is responsible for the start of this war. It now holds the hostages cruelly and is responsible for the difficult state of the population in Gaza. Hamas is mistaken when it comes to our abilities, intentions and determination, just like [Hezbollah leader Hassan] Nasrallah and his top command,” he added.
Since renewing its offensive in Gaza, the IDF has occupied 30% of the Strip’s territories under the premise of establishing a buffer zone. During the same period, close to 2,000 Palestinians, mostly women and children, have been killed.
Recent days saw some progress in indirect talks on a new ceasefire-hostage deal. Hamas has reportedly signaled its willingness to release all the remaining hostages in Gaza – at least 59, including 24 who are believed to be alive – at once. However, this may not be enough for Israel, which is openly working to fully eradicate the group.
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repeat repeat repeat
dead jews!
good news!
lol
erdogan will finish israel soon.
wishful thinking but hope you are right!
the best part was the happy ending – they got away.