The IDF Spokesperson Unit confirmed on Sunday that Staff Sergeant Lior Raviv, 21, from Rishon LeZion, a soldier in the Nahal Brigade, was killed in clashes with terrorists at the Al Shifa Hospital in the western part of Gaza City. He is the third casualty of that days-long operation.
Soldiers from his unit described him as "a top-of-the-line soldier, value-driven, modest, and exceptional in everything he did."
"It is with great sorrow, that we must announce the fall of 932nd Battalion soldier Staff Sergeant Lior Riviv, who served in the operational division, his battalion said in a statement. "Lior fell during combat in the heart of the Gaza Strip. The 932nd Battalion and the Nahal Brigade mourn his loss and will continue to accompany his family. The battalion’s soldiers and commanders continue to fight in the Gaza Strip to bring back the sense of security to the State of Israel and its residents."
Since the start of the war on October 7, 596 IDF soldiers have fallen in combat. Of them, 252 fell since the beginning of the IDF’s ground operation in the Strip on October 26.
The military’s operation in the Al Shifa Hospital began early last week. Since then, according to the IDF, soldiers have eliminated over 170 terrorists in and around the medical complex and arrested over 800 terror suspects - including 480 terrorists affiliated with Hamas and the Palestinian Islamic Jihad. Additionally, troops have identified numerous military equipment and terrorist infrastructure in the area.