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Soldier KIA in Gaza, bringing IDF wartime toll to 881

The slain soldier was named as Sgt. Yaniv Michalovitch, 19, from Rehovot.

Sgt. Yaniv Michalovitch, 19, was killed in action in the Gaza Strip, July 2, 2025. Credit: IDF.
Sgt. Yaniv Michalovitch, 19, was killed in action in the Gaza Strip, July 2, 2025. Credit: IDF.

An Israel Defense Forces soldier was killed in combat with Palestinian terrorists in the northern Gaza Strip, the military announced on Wednesday.

The fallen soldier was identified as Sgt. Yaniv Michalovitch, 19, from Rehovot, who served in the 82nd Battalion of the 7th Armored Brigade.

According to the IDF, a tank commander and another soldier were seriously wounded in the same incident. They were evacuated to the hospital for medical treatment, and their families have been notified.

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 437, and at 881 on all fronts since the Hamas-led massacre on Oct. 7, 2023, per 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.

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“All of the terrorists were transferred to the security forces for further investigation,” authorities added.
The incident joins a series of similar ones in recent months, posing a danger to the safety of IDF troops, according to the military.