The IDF this evening released the identities of two of the four soldiers from the elite Yahalom Unit who lost their lives earlier this week during fighting in Gaza.
Sergeant First Class Tom Rotstein, 23, a resident of Ramat Gan, and Sergeant Uri Yhonatan Cohen, 20, from Neve Yarak, were part of the Yahalom Unit under the Combat Engineering Corps. Both were killed in combat operations taking place in the southern part of the Gaza Strip.
Their deaths occurred during the same combat operation that claimed the life of Sergeant Major Chen Gross, 33, from Gan Yoshiya. Gross was a reservist serving in the Maglan Unit, which is part of the Commando Brigade.
Another soldier, Staff Sergeant Yoav Raver, 19, from Sde Warburg, also serving in the Yahalom Unit, was killed in action during the same engagement in southern Gaza.
The incident also left a reserve officer from the Maglan Unit of the Commando Brigade with life-threatening injuries.
The wounded officer was transported to a hospital for urgent care, and his relatives have been informed.
The fatal event took place at approximately 6:10 a.m. during an operation carried out by Division 98 in the Bani Suheila neighborhood, located in southern Gaza close to the Israeli frontier. The wounded were rushed to Israeli medical centers, while military teams labored for hours to recover the bodies of the fallen soldiers from the debris of a damaged building.
Preliminary findings suggest that IDF troops entered a structure with the intent to clear it when a hidden explosive device was triggered. The blast resulted in the deaths of four soldiers and injuries to five others. Among the wounded was a reserve officer listed in serious condition; the rest sustained moderate injuries.
{Matzav.com}
