An Israel Defense Forces soldier was killed overnight during combat in the northern Gaza Strip, the military said on Friday morning.
The soldier was identified as Sgt. Yair Eliyahou, 19, from Ezer, southeast of Ashdod, who served in the Gaza Division’s Northern Brigade.
The military is investigating the circumstances surrounding his death.
On Wednesday, the IDF announced the death in Gaza of Sgt. Yaniv Michalovitch, 19, from Rehovot, who served in the 82nd Battalion of the 7th Armored Brigade. A tank commander and another soldier were seriously wounded in the same incident.
On Sunday, the military announced that Sgt. Yisrael Natan Rosenfeld, 20, was killed in action in northern Gaza. Last week, seven IDF troops were killed when their armored vehicle was struck by an explosive in the Strip. The same day, an Israeli soldier was killed by an Iranian missile launched at the Jewish state.
The death toll among Israeli troops since the start of the Gaza ground incursion on Oct. 27, 2023, stands at 438, and at 882 on all fronts since the Hamas-led massacre on Oct. 7, 2023, according to official military figures.
The IDF is continuing to press ahead with ground operations across Gaza as part of “Gideon’s Chariots,” a campaign with the stated goal of dismantling Hamas’s remaining military capabilities, taking control of key areas in Gaza and securing the release of the remaining 50 captives.
