Israel loses 11 soldiers in 24 hours in ground operation in Khan Younis.

 

GAZA – The Israeli Defence Forces, IDF has lost not less than 11 soldiers, including senior officers in their ground operation in Khan Younis, Gaza.

They lost the officers in gun battle with Hamas fighters in the region.

So far, the IDF has recovered the bodies of hostages Eden Zakaria and (CSM) Ziv Dado. The bodies were taken  to Israel.

“After an identification procedure carried out by medical officials and military rabbis together with the Institute of Forensic Medicine and the Israel Police, today (Tuesday) IDF and Israel Police representatives informed the families of Eden Zakaria and (CSM) Ziv Dado, who were taken hostage by the Hamas terrorist organization on October 7th, that their bodies had been recovered and returned to Israel.

Eden (27) was taken hostage from the Re’im music festival and Ziv (36) was taken hostage and fell while serving as a logistics supervisor in the Golani Brigade’s 51st Battalion, and until today was recognized as a fallen soldier in captivity.

The IDF has sent the families its heartfelt condolences, saying it will continue to support them.

Besides, during the operations that enabled the location of the bodies, IDF soldiers in reserve duty (MSG) Gal Meir Eisenkot and (MSG) Eyal Meir Berkowitz fell in battle and additional soldiers were injured.

“Our national mission is to locate the missing and return all the hostages home”, the IDF said, adding we are working together with security agencies, and with all intelligence and operational means in order to return all of the hostages home.

A day earlier, Chief of the General Staff, LTG Herzi Halevi expressed hope following decision of some Hamas fighters to surrender.

‎״There is big pressure here. I think that the surrendering, the people coming out and raising their hands, is also a break in their spirit. It accelerates our accomplishments, in the end, we want to progress quickly. We are securing our accomplishments in the northern part of the Gaza Strip, the entrance in the southern part of the Strip, and also deep down into the ground – all of these places, all of these intensifications, are very important for our accomplishments.

“The main operating method is the combination of the Infantry, Armored and the Combat Engineering forces together here on the ground, your connection to intelligence, ISA and Military Intelligence, and indeed physical presence here.

“I encounter this with every force and it’s very very important, all the time to try the intelligence that there is for brigade commanders to translate this as best as possible into action, and of course the connection to the IAF which is very significant.

“I say here to the whole forum, pass this also to your people, for each of you to bring this back home, to his place: the pace of the entrance and the course of the entrance is very impressive, also speaking in historical terms, with a defensive apparatus system that was ready and waiting, your presence here inside an urban, complex area is very very impressive, and now to dismantle, dismantle, dismantle. Happy Hanukkah.”