The Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) reported on Tuesday that three additional soldiers lost their lives during the ongoing conflict in the Gaza Strip. This brought the total count of soldiers killed since the ground offensive began to 161. Intense battles erupted in the central part of Gaza between IDF troops and Hamas's al-Bureij battalion.
The soldiers who tragically lost their lives were identified as:
Master Sgt. (res.) Maor Lavi, 33, serving in the Bislamach Brigade’s 450th Battalion from Susya.
Cpt. Shay Shamriz, 26, a company commander in the Nahal Brigade’s 931st Battalion, from Merkaz Shapira.
Cpt. (res.) Shaul Greenglick, 26, from Ra’anana, serving in the Nahal Brigade’s 931st Battalion.
Lavi was killed in a central Gaza battle that also left another soldier from the 450th Battalion severely injured. Shamriz and Greenglick lost their lives in the northern part of the Strip. Additionally, one officer and two soldiers from the 931st Battalion were seriously wounded in the same confrontation.
In a separate incident, a soldier from the Nahal Brigade’s reconnaissance unit sustained serious injuries in northern Gaza.
Earlier on Tuesday, the IDF announced the deaths of Staff Sgt. (res.) Elisha Yehonatan Lober and Sgt. First Class (res.) Joseph Yosef Gitarts.
Meanwhile, the IDF intensified its operations in the central Gaza Strip. Rear Adm. Daniel Hagari, the IDF Spokesman, highlighted the expanded operations in Khan Younis and the 'Central Camps' area, which comprises several refugee camps in central Gaza. He emphasized adjustments in tactics and troop compositions based on operational requirements.
Hagari noted that Khan Younis, the largest city in southern Gaza, is believed to shelter numerous leaders of the Hamas group. On Monday, Yahya Sinwar, the Gaza leader of Hamas, issued a defiant statement, overstating the group’s successes in the conflict.
The IDF confirmed its focus on targeting Hamas's al-Bureij battalion, a part of the terror group’s central camps brigade, consisting of approximately 1,000 fighters. Brig. Gen. Dado Bar Kalifa, commander of the 36th Division, mentioned that the IDF aims to disrupt the functioning of these battalions, similar to past successful operations.
All four Hamas battalions within the central camps brigade - al-Bureij, Deir al-Balah, Maghazi, and Nuseirat - have sustained damage from Israeli strikes but are reportedly still operational. Ayman Nofel, the commander of the central camps brigade, was killed in an Israeli strike last month.
