Ten IDF soldiers killed in heavy Gaza fighting in 24 hours

Soldiers were killed in fighting in both the southern and northern parts of the Gaza Strip.

Ten IDF soldiers were killed in combat in different incidents in the northern and southern Gaza Strip in the last 24 hours.

Earlier on Sunday, the IDF published the names of seven soldiers who were killed in fighting in the Gaza Strip, following correspondence with the families of the soldiers.

The names announced by the IDF are:

Capt. (res.) Eitan Koplovich, 28, from Jerusalem, a combat officer in the 129th Battalion, fell in combat in the northern Gaza Strip.
Senior Staff Sergeant Major (res.) Elon Waiss, 49, from Psagot, a soldier in the 129th Battalion, fell in combat in the northern Gaza Strip.
Sergeant Eliyahu Moshe Zimbalist, 21, from Beit Shemesh, a soldier in Battalion 601, fell in combat in the southern Gaza Strip.
Israeli flags on graves of fallen soldiers in Mount Herzl Military Cemetery in Jerusalem, on May 9, 2024, ahead of Israeli Memorial Day. (credit: YONATAN SINDEL/FLASH90)
Sergeant Itay Amar, 19, from Kochav Yair-Tzur Yigal, a soldier in Battalion 601, fell in combat in the southern Gaza Strip.
Staff Sergeant Stanislav Kostarev, 21, from Ashdod, a soldier in Battalion 601, fell in combat in the southern Gaza Strip.
Staff Sgt. Orr Blumovitz, 20, from Pardes Hanna-Karkur, a soldier in Battalion 601, fell in combat in the southern Gaza Strip.
Staff Sergeant Oz Yeshaia Gruber, 20, from Tal Menashe, a soldier in Battalion 601, fell in combat in the southern Gaza Strip.

The incident in the southern Gaza Strip also killed Capt. Wassem Mahmoud, whose death was announced earlier on Saturday.

The IDF also announced on Saturday that Sergeant Yair Roitman succumbed to his wounds after being wounded in the explosion of a booby-trapped building on June 10, 2024, in Rafah, in the southern Gaza Strip.
Later on Sunday, the military announced that Sergeant Yakir Ya’akov Levi, 21, from Hafetz Haim, from the 601st Battalion, fell in combat in the southern Gaza Strip.

Two soldiers seriously wounded

The military noted that in the incident in which Koplovich and Waiss were killed, two soldiers from the 8th Brigade were seriously wounded and were transferred to the hospital for medical treatment.

From an initial investigation, two possibilities are being examined. The first is that an anti-tank missile hit the armored personnel carrier (APC), in which were the soldiers. The second possibility is that the APC hit a powerful explosive device.

The incident began on Friday night close to 12:00 a.m., with the attack by the 162nd Division on the Tel al-Sultan neighborhood in Rafah.

In the attack carried out by the 401st Brigade, in which the 424th Battalion and 601st Battalion of the Engineering Corps also operated, 50 terrorists were killed.

At the end of the operation, the forces were positioned in the northwestern part of the neighborhood, in which were many terrorists. At around 05:00 a.m., the forces began moving with tanks and APCs between the houses that had been cleared out for troops to stay in.

The fighters were traveling in an APC on an axis that led to the building where they were supposed to stay. At around 05:15 a.m., the explosion occurred while the APC, the sixth in the convoy, was in motion.

It was also noted that it was very difficult to access the APC that caught fire and resulted in a chain of explosions. After controlling the fire, forces began to tow the APC away. During the rescue operations, many drones were activated in the area to locate the fighters.

Tributes to the fallen soldiers

Koplovich’s uncle spoke with Kan News and stated that his nephew “was destined for greatness. He excelled in everything—in the officers’ course and at the university. He was a humble man whom his soldiers adored. He was a leader. Two weeks ago, they entered Gaza. And he didn’t hesitate for a moment.”

Waiss’s brother, Assaf, told Kan Reshet Bet regarding his brother, “My father said that he talked to him and said to him, “You have children, you have your daughter’s wedding, and he said to my father – ‘Father, you brought us up like this, that the people of Israel are above all, I am here on a mission, I will return and marry her.'”

Head of Shomron Regional Council, Yossi Dagan was cited in Israeli media as saying of Gruber, a resident of the council, “He dreamed of serving a significant service, to protect the State of Israel, the people and the land.”

Dagan further added that Gruber’s mother, Shira, said her son was “a great idealist, and added that she was sure that if they asked him even now if he would enter Gaza again, he would say he would enter, even though he knew he would be killed.”