Hamas killed 14 soldiers of Israel in Gaza, reports Times of Israel

The Israel Defense Forces released the names of nine soldiers who lost their lives in clashes in the Gaza Strip the previous day, bringing the weekend’s total casualties to 14 as the military escalated its offensive against the Hamas group.

An anti-tank guided missile struck a Namer armored engineering vehicle in southern Gaza, resulting in the deaths of five soldiers from the Combat Engineering Corps and a paramedic. In separate incidents in central Gaza, four soldiers were killed by bombs during battles with gunmen.

These fatalities contributed to a total of 153 troops killed since the commencement of the ground operation in late October.

On Saturday alone, 10 soldiers were killed, and their identities were disclosed as follows:

1. Staff Sgt. David Bogdanovskyi, 19, Combat Engineering Corps’s 603rd Battalion, Haifa.
2. Staff Sgt. Orel Bashan, 20, Combat Engineering Corps’s 603rd Battalion, Haifa.
3. Staff Sgt. Gal Hershko, 20, Squad Commander, Combat Engineering Corps’s 603rd Battalion, Yiftah.
4. Staff Sgt. Roy Elias, 21, Combat Engineering Corps’s 603rd Battalion, Tzofar.
5. Staff Sgt. Itamar Shemen, 21, Paramedic, 36th Division, Lapid.
6. Master Sgt. (res.) Nadav Issachar Farhi, 30, Combat Medic, Yiftah Brigade’s 7810th Battalion, Herzliya.
7. Master Sgt. (res.) Eliyahu Meir Ohana, 28, Yiftah Brigade’s 7810th Battalion, Haifa.
8. Sgt. First Class (res.) Elyassaf Shoshan, 23, 646th Brigade’s 6646th Battalion, Jerusalem.
9. Sgt. First Class (res.) Ohad Ashur, 23, 646th Brigade’s 6646th Battalion, Kfar Yona.
10. Cpt. Oshri Moshe Butzhak, 22, Team Commander, Nahal Brigade’s reconnaissance unit, Haifa.

The IDF had previously reported Butzhak’s death, along with four soldiers killed on Friday: Staff Sgt. Nir Rafael Kananian, 20; Staff Sgt. Birhanu Kassie, 20; Master Sgt. (res.) Shay Termin, 26; and Warrant Officer (res.) Alexander Shpits, 41.

Addressing the rising death toll in the IDF, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu acknowledged the heavy toll on Sunday, stating, “The war is taking a very heavy toll on us, but we have no choice but to continue fighting.” He emphasized the ongoing efforts to eliminate terrorists and achieve their objectives.

Over the weekend, fierce battles persisted as the IDF engaged in intense fighting in Khan Younis in southern Gaza, where Hamas leadership is believed to be located. The military also announced the killing of a Hamas official responsible for supply in an airstrike in Rafah, southern Gaza, as part of the ongoing efforts to dismantle the command structure of the terror group.