13 Golani Brigade Soldiers Killed In Gaza Over Past 24 Hours

Thirteen Golani Brigade soldiers were killed in the Gaza Strip over the past 24 hours in several different incidents, the IDF cleared for publication this evening, bringing the number of killed soldiers in Operation Protective Edge to 18.

Seven soldiers from the 13th battalion of the Golani Brigade were killed at 1:05am Sunday in Gaza City when an anti-tank missile hit the armored personnnel carrier (APC) they were in. Others were killed setting up positions inside houses they had taken over, the sources added.

Several other soldiers have been wounded during military operations in the Strip and have been taken to Soroka Medical Center in Be’er Sheva, the Sheba Medical Center in Tel HaShomer and the Rabin Medical Center in Petach Tikva.

The IDF was still working to identify the soldiers. When all have been identified, and with the families’ consent, the names of the troops will be released. The families of the killed and wounded soldiers have already been notified.

Making a statement to the press, IDF Chief of Staff Benny Gantz said that while the army suffered more losses in the past 24 hours than it did in previous days, “we understand that in battle, some are killed. But we know that this is our job and this is what we’re doing.”

“The battles in some of these areas are both complex and difficult and despite that we remain determined to reach our objectives,” Gantz added.

The chief of staff praised the work of the IDF soldiers and said the army was continuing to expand and intensify its operations. “Terrorists are hit, infrastracture is hit and destroyed in every area we enter.”

The IDF destroyed six tunnels and shafts leading to them in the Gaza Strip on Sunday. Two were located in the northern Gaza Strip. In addition to that, the IDF said that security forces have killed more than 110 terrorists in Gaza and attacked 1,032 targets overall since ground operations began during Operation Protective Edge. Some 341 of the targets were attacked on Sunday.

Five other soldiers have been killed since the ground phase of Operation Protective Edge started on Thursday night.

Four soldiers were killed on Shabbos.

Second Lieutenant Bar Rahav, a 21-year-old Engineering Corps soldier from Ramat Yishai, was killed by an anti-tank missile that hit the engineering vehicle in which he was driving in the Strip. Staff Sergeant Bnaya Rubel, a 20-year-old infantryman from Holon, was killed in a firefight, in which an IDF officer was also moderately wounded.

Major Amotz Greenberg, 45, and Sergeant Adar Barsano, 20, were killed in a firefight after Hamas terrorists infiltrated into Israel from a tunnel in the Gaza Strip.

On Thursday night, Nachal Brigade soldier Eitan Barak, 20, became the first IDF soldier to be killed in the operation.

Hashem yikom domom.

Read more at Ynet News.

{Matzav.com Israel}