Ten Israel Defense Forces soldiers were killed fighting Hamas terrorists in the Gaza Strip over the weekend, the military announced on Sunday morning after informing their families. In addition, one soldier passed away from wounds sustained during fighting last week, the IDF said.
Eight soldiers were slain early Saturday morning during an operation in Tel Sultan in Gaza’s southernmost city of Rafah. Details were announced late Saturday, after their families were notified.
According to IDF Spokesman Rear Adm. Daniel Hagari, the incident occurred when one of the vehicles of an army convoy exploded, killing all eight troops inside a “Namer” armored personnel carrier.
The fallen were named as Cpt. Wassem Mahmoud, 23, from Beit Jann; Sgt. Eliyahu Moshe Zimbalist, 21, from Beit Shemesh; Sgt. Itay Amar, 19, from Kochav Yair; Sgt. Stanislav Kostarev, 21, from Ashdod; Sgt. Or Blumovitz, 20, from Pardes Hanna-Karkur; and Sgt. Oz Yeshaya Gruber, 20, from Tal Menashe. The final two names were due to be released later.
TEARS. TEARS. TEARS. TEARS. TEARS.
We mourn for IDF soldiers Itay Amar, 19; Stanislav Kostarev, 21; Or Blumovitz, 20; Oz Yeshaya Gruber, 20; Eliyahu Moshe Zimbalist, 21; Eitan Koplovich, 28; and Elon Weiss, 49. All were killed this Shabbat while fighting Hamas terrorists in Gaza pic.twitter.com/8uGLsWoQjM— Dov Lipman (@DovLipman) June 16, 2024
The deadly blast, which Hagari said is under investigation, was apparently caused by an improvised explosive device or an anti-tank missile. The incident was one of the deadliest since late January, when 21 soldiers died in a building collapse caused by a blast in central Gaza.
An initial probe found that IDF rescue forces had difficulty accessing the APC, which was said to have caught fire, causing a chain of explosions.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu released a statement Saturday night following the incident. “Citizens of Israel, today we paid a heart-rending price in our just war in defense of our homeland,” the premier said. “Our hearts are shattered before this terrible loss. The entire people of Israel embraces the dear families in their most difficult hour of grief”
Netanyahu stated that, “despite the heavy and unsettling price, we must cling to the goals of the war: The destruction of Hamas’s military and governing capabilities, the return of all of our hostages, making certain that Gaza will never again constitute a threat to Israel and the return of our residents securely to their homes in both the north and the south.
“We are in the midst of a very difficult war. The war is being conducted on several fronts, including the international front. We are ready for many additional challenges. It is at this time that we must show our people’s strength of spirit, thanks to which we have overcome all of our enemies. So it will be this time as well.”
Defense Minister Yoav Gallant similarly released a statement, adding: “The pain that comes with such loss is immense. My heart and my thoughts are with the families and loved ones of the fallen. I stand with the entire nation of Israel in remembering and honoring the heroes who fell while defending their people and their homeland.”
In a separate incident, two soldiers were killed when they came under fire in the northern Gaza Strip, the IDF announced on Sunday. Cpt. (res.) Eitan Koplovich, 28, from Jerusalem, and Warrant Officer (res.) Elon Waiss, 49, from Psagot, were killed when Hamas targeted their tank with explosives. Two others were seriously wounded in the attack.
Separately, an IDF fighter who was seriously wounded during battle in the southern Strip on Monday succumbed to his wounds, the military said on Saturday night. He was named as Sgt. Yair Roitman, 19, of the Givati Brigade’s reconnaissance unit, from Karnei Shomron in Samaria.
Roitman was wounded when a blast collapsed a building they were searching in Rafah, in an incident that killed four other soldiers and wounded six, including five seriously.
The total death toll among Israeli forces since the start of the Gaza ground operation on Oct. 27 now stands at 307, and at 659 on all fronts since the beginning of the war on Oct. 7, according to IDF data.
With reporting by JNS.
