IDF forces operate deep inside the Gaza Strip
(Video: IDF Spokesperson's Unit)
The IDF reported Tuesday that two soldiers were killed and two others were seriously wounded during clashes with Hamas terrorists in the Gaza Strip.
Read more:
The fallen soldiers are named Staff Sgt. Roei Wolf, 20, from Ramat Gan, and Staff Sgt. Lavi Lipshitz, 20, from Modiin, who both served in the Givati Infantry Brigade’s reconnaissance unit.
4 View gallery
Staff Sgt. Roei Wolf, 20, from Ramat Gan, and Staff Sgt. Lavi Lipshitz, 20, from Modiin were killed in Gaza
(Photo: IDF Spokesperson's Unit)
These are the most difficult battles so far within the framework of ground operations in the Gaza Strip, and the first time that IDF fighters have been killed in them. The first incidents in which fighters were injured as part of the maneuver happened Monday, during which an officer was seriously injured by an IED hit in the north of the Gaza Strip, another soldier was moderately injured in an encounter with terrorists.
The IDF said that the combined force, led by ground troops, has been conducting intense battles in the Gaza Strip in recent hours. According to the IDF Spokesperson's Unit, these forces targeted Hamas terrorists in the northern region of the strip, successfully eliminating dozens of them. Their operations included dismantling bunkers, observation posts and rocket-launching sites, as well as seizing a substantial cache of weapons, including explosives and firearms.
In addition, ground forces have been engaged in combat with terrorists, who fired anti-tank missiles or machine guns at them during clashes. Most of the terrorists eliminated so far have been taken down in tank or aerial strikes. Additionally, these troops have coordinated with air units to efficiently target and destroy terror-related objectives and infrastructure in real time.
Inside the Gaza Strip, these forces, bolstered by combat divisions, advanced toward Gaza city overnight. The city still holds a significant population, with several hundred thousand residents remaining out of a total of 1.2 million in the city. The IDF is proceeding with caution, fully aware that every alley, street, and building could potentially be booby-trapped. Therefore, foot patrols are only conducted after thorough clearance operations involving controlled explosions.
The advance of the armored and infantry forces is being carried out under the cover of heavy artillery and aerial fire. Before every step of the ground forces, heavy fire is showered in front of them. Alongside dozens of fighter jets and armed drones that are available within a few minutes to attack for an integrated divisional battle team, the navy's missile ships are providing cover fire for the ground forces and the artillery corps are launching rockets at targets high above the troops.
Defense Minister Yoav Gallant commented on the fall of the two soldiers during a visit on Tuesday afternoon to the Palmachim base. "We are deploying forces on a large scale, deep in the Strip, there are battles against the forces that are operating and the results and achievements on the battlefield are very high. Unfortunately, war also has a price, and the prices in the last day were heavy ones."
He emphasized that despite the heavy price, "we are also determined to continue and win. I believe in you, I see your faces, the faces of warriors, in your case, warriors who have gone through difficult battles in the last few days." The defense minister added: "We trust you, because we know we can win this war thanks to you, it won't be easy, it won't be short, there will be prices, but we will win."
IDF spokesman Brig. Gen.Daniel Hagari referred to the ground maneuver in his briefing Tuesday morning, saying that "our soldiers at this time are fighting on the battlefield with courage and valor. There are also fierce face-to-face battles, in which terrorists are strived for contact and eliminated."
According to Hagari, "one must understand that this fighting is dangerous fighting - it is complex, and it has costs - but it is necessary in being able to change and achieve the goals of the war."
First published: 18:40, 10.31.23