The IDF on Tuesday morning identified four soldiers who had fallen in battle in the Gaza Strip.
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Sergeant Roi Tal, 19, from Kfar Yehoshua, a Kfir Brigade soldier, was killed in a clash with terrorists in Khan Younis, southern Gaza Strip. His funeral will be held at 2 pm on Tuesday in the Kfar Yehoshua cemetery.
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Sergeant First Class (res.) Yakir Hexter, Sergeant Roi Tal, Sergeant First Class (res.) David Schwartz and Sergeant First Class (res.) Gavriel Bloom
Sergeant First Class (res.) David Schwartz, 26, from Elazar, a soldier of the 551st Brigade's 8291st Engineering Battalion, was killed by anti-tank fire in Khan Younis, southern Gaza Strip.
Sergeant First Class (res.) Yakir Hexter, 26, a soldier of the 551st Brigade's 8291st Engineering Battalion, was also killed in the same incident. Another reservist was seriously wounded.
Sergeant First Class (res.) Gavriel Bloom, 27, from Beit Shemesh, a 36th Division engineering soldier, was killed in an explosion near a strategic tunnel in the central Gaza Strip. The explosion, caused by a sudden detonation of explosive material currently under investigation, also critically injured a combat officer and two reservists, including singer and Fauda actor Idan Amedi.
Additionally, two 626th Brigade reserve officers were seriously wounded in a battle in the central Gaza Strip.
Since the start of the war, the IDF has recorded 514 soldiers and officers who fell in the line of duty, including 180 since the start of ground operations on October 27. Moreover, 1,042 soldiers have been injured since the operation began, with 228 of them suffering serious injuries. Forty-five are still hospitalized in serious condition.
IDF Spokesperson Rear Adm. Daniel Hagari told the New York Times on Monday that the IDF has begun a less intense phase of ground operations in the Gaza Strip.
Hagari told the newspaper that the Israeli campaign had already started the transition to a campaign that would involve fewer ground troops and airstrikes.
He said Israel has begun reducing troops in Gaza, focusing on targeted raids in northern areas and shifting attention to Hamas's southern and central strongholds.
Meanwhile, Defense Minister Yoav Gallant told the Wall Street Journal on Monday that Israel would be shifting from an “intense maneuvering phase of the war” toward “different types of special operations."
Gallant noted that the third phase would take longer and emphasized Israel’s commitment to its war objectives, including the destruction of Hamas, the release of all hostages and the weakening of the terrorist organization's governance capabilities in the Gaza Strip.
He said that the fighting in Khan Younis continues despite the dense civilian population in southern Gaza.