Israeli commander among 10 IDF soldiers killed during intense Gaza battle
Ten Israeli soldiers were killed while fighting Hamas in the Gaza Strip on Tuesday, it has been confirmed.
Among the deaths was a high-ranking official, Lieutenant Colonel Tomer Grinberg, 35.
Major Roei Meldasi, 23, Major Moshe Avram Bar-On, 23, Sergeant Achia Daskal, 19, Captain Liel Hayo, 22, Major Ben Shelly, 26, Major Rom Hecht, 20, Sergeant Oriya Yaakov, 19, Eran Aloni, 19, and Itzhak Ben Basat, 24, were all also confirmed dead.
They had been fighting in the Shajaiya neighbourhood in Gaza City.
Israeli media reported that many of the deaths were caused by an exploding device, while the other deaths came as a result of gunfire from Hamas operatives.
As a result, Tuesday was the worst single day for loss of life for the IDF since they started their ground operations in Gaza.
At least 115 Israeli soldiers have died since the operations began following the October 7 terror attack carried out by Hamas.
The Gaza health ministry reports that over 18,000 Gazans have died as a result of Israel’s bombardment.
Major Meldasi, a company commander in the 13th Battalion, Major Bar-On a company commander in the 51st Battalion, Sergeant Daskal a fighter in the 51st Battalion and Captain Hayo a platoon commander in the 51st Battalion were killed on Tuesday alongside five Israeli soldiers who lost their lives in the north of the Gaza Strip.
Major Shelly and Major Rom Hecht of the Special Rescue Tactical Unit were killed in the Shahja’iya neighborhood.
Hamas opened fire at the Israeli troops, provoking the Israelis to approach the gunmen.
This was when the explosive device was detonated.
Israel has also confirmed that 13 other deaths in the war were caused by friendly fire.
A further six deaths have been caused by accidents related to “weaponry, machinery, trampling.”
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The Times of Israel reports that the soldiers killed by friendly fire were wrongly identified during airstrikes, or were hit by tank shelling and gunfire.
As Israel continues its assault on Gaza, US President Joe Biden has warned Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu he risks alienating the people around the world due to the scale of the military operations.
He said Israel “has the European Union, it has Europe, it has most of the world supporting them, but they’re starting to lose that support by indiscriminate bombing that takes place.”
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