The IDF announced the deaths of seven more soldiers killed during fighting in the Gaza Strip over the weekend, with two announced on Friday and five more on Saturday night.
This brings the toll of slain troops in the ground offensive against Hamas to 144 and comes as the IDF has intensified its operations throughout the Strip and has killed dozens of terrorists over the weekend.
The names of the two fallen soldiers announced on Friday were Lt. Shai Ayeli, 21, from Ashkelon, who fell in battle in the north Gaza Strip, and Sgt.-Maj. (res.) Tal Shua, 31, from Beersheba, who fell in the south.
The names of the five fallen soldiers announced on Saturday night were: St.-Sgt. Nir Rafael Kananian, 20, from Beit Keshet; St.-Sgt. Birhanu Kassie, 22, from Beit Shemesh; St.-Sgt.-Maj. (res.) Shay Termin, 26, from Rosh Pina; and Chief Warrant Ofc. (res.) Alexander Shpits, 41, from Karmiel, who fell Friday in a battle in the southern Gaza Strip; and Capt. Oshri Moshe Butzhak, 22, from Haifa, who fell Saturday in a battle in the northern Gaza Strip.
Israel assassinates Hassan Atrash, Hamas weapons head
Meanwhile, an Israeli fighter jet successfully assassinated Hamas leader Hassan Atrash, the IDF and Shin Bet (Israel Security Agency) announced on Saturday.
The assassination took place in the Rafah area of southern Gaza.
Atrash was responsible for the trade, production, and equipping of the military arm of Hamas. He also took part in the smuggling of weapons from various countries into the Gaza Strip and the West Bank.
The IDF had allegedly informed Egypt of its intention to occupy the Rafah border area and asked Egyptian soldiers to evacuate the area, Arab media reported.
The report also claimed that the army emphasized to Cairo that it would not be responsible for the safety of Egypt’s forces during the attempt to control the Rafah border area. It even emphasized that the military operation in the area will continue whether Egypt agrees to or rejects it.
Arab media also reported that the IDF is firing shells at an area in southern Rafah. There are also reports of tanks operating west of the Kerem Shalom crossing.
On Friday, the IDF’s Yiftach reserve brigade, as part of the ground operation in southern Gaza City, fired a decoy on Friday that led to the evacuation of dozens of terrorists into a building that served as a Hamas infrastructure.
The forces then directed an IAF fighter jet that attacked the structure and killed the terrorists.
In another incident in the same area, the brigade’s observation unit identified armed terrorists who tried to attack the forces and were killed by sniper fire.
In a separate incident on the same day, personnel of the 179th Brigade’s Combat Team located a stockpile of weapons in a kindergarten in the Bakshi neighborhood in the center of the Gaza Strip. They found toy boxes containing dozens of mortar bombs and RPG-type anti-tank missiles.
Also, during operational activity by the 14th Brigade Combat Team on the outskirts of the Shati refugee camp, they identified three terrorists who fired at Israeli forces. The forces then directed an IAF aircraft and a combat helicopter which eliminated the terrorists.