An Israel Defense Forces soldier was killed in action in the southern Gaza Strip on Wednesday.
The slain man was identified as Master Sgt. (res.) Abraham Azulay, 25, a heavy-engineering vehicle operator in the Southern Command from Yitzhar in Samaria.
According to an initial IDF investigation, the incident occurred during an operation in Khan Yunis, when Palestinian terrorists emerged from a tunnel and opened fire on Israeli troops.
The attackers attempted to abduct Azulay, who resisted and was shot and killed during the struggle.
IDF troops operating in the area returned fire, striking several of the terrorists and thwarting the attempted kidnapping.
The military said the incident is still under review.
On Tuesday, the IDF announced that five soldiers were killed by an improvised explosive device in the Beit Hanoun area of the northeastern Gaza Strip.
The casualties were identified as Sgt. Moshe Nissim Frech, 20, from Jerusalem; Staff Sgt. Meir Shimon Amar, 20, from Jerusalem; Staff Sgt. Noam Aharon Musgadian, 20, from Jerusalem; Sgt. 1st Class (res.) Benyamin Asulin, 20, from Haifa; and Staff Sgt. Moshe Shmuel Noll, 21, from Beit Shemesh.
The death toll among Israeli troops since the start of the Gaza ground incursion on Oct. 27, 2023, stands at 445, and at 889 on all fronts since the Hamas-led massacre on Oct. 7, 2023, according to official IDF data.
The IDF is continuing to press ahead with ground operations across Gaza as part of “Gideon’s Chariots,” a campaign to dismantle Hamas’s remaining military capabilities, take control of key areas in Gaza and secure the release of the 50 captives.
