The IDF Spokesperson’s Unit revealed on Friday morning that 19-year-old Sergeant Eyal Shynes from Kibbutz Afik was killed during combat operations in southern Gaza.
Shynes was a member of the 931st Battalion of the Nahal Brigade.
His family has been informed of his passing.
On Thursday, Major General Tomer Bar, the Commanding Officer of the Israeli Air Force, addressed the ongoing conflict with Hamas during the graduation ceremony for the 188th Israeli Air Force (IAF) Pilots Course.
“We are in the midst of the longest war in our history since the War of Independence. We have been operating for nearly nine months without pause, without fatigue. Hamas in Gaza will soon be defeated. Against Hezbollah in the north, we are prepared,” Bar stated.
IDF Chief of Staff Herzi Halevi also spoke at the ceremony, emphasizing the sacrifices made and the mission ahead. “We have lost many, soldiers and commanders, who fought bravely and with self-sacrifice alongside us. The cost has been heavy, but the goal is worthy beyond measure: to dismantle the Hamas terrorist organization, to eliminate its operatives, to destroy its infrastructure, and to not allow the continuation of its rule. To bring back the hostages, to return the Israeli evacuees safely to their homes in the north and south, with renewed construction and prosperity,” Halevi declared.
{Matzav.com Israel}
