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The IDF reported on Tuesday that Major (res.) Moshiko (Maxim) Rozenwald, 35, and Sergeant First Class (res.) Alexander Anosov, 26, both from Modi'in-Maccabim-Re'ut, were killed in Rafah in the southern Gaza Strip when a building collapsed on top of them.
According to a preliminary probe, the building that collapsed in Rafah was old and dilapidated. The IDF is investigating whether the frequent movements of heavy armored vehicles such as tanks and D9 bulldozers caused the ground to shake, further comprising the building's structural integrity. Rescue forces worked for hours to extract the soldiers trapped in the rubble.
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Over 40 terrorists killed near Philadelphi Corridor
(Video: IDF Spokesperson's Unit)
Rozenwald served as a company commander in the 7107th Engineering Battalion, which operates under the Nahal Brigade. He was promoted to the rank of major in April 2023 during a division excellence ceremony held in honor of Israel's 75th Independence Day. He was laid to rest at 3:30 p.m. Tuesday in the military section of the Modi'in cemetery.
Modi'in-Maccabim-Re'ut Mayor Haim Bibas shared his condolences: "He was a graduate of the city's Ironi Alef High School, a fighter, a commander and a family man who recently moved with his wife and young son to the city of Yavne. On behalf of myself and the residents of Modi'in-Maccabim-Re'ut, I send my heartfelt condolences to the Rozenwald family, to his parents Elizabeth and Aryeh, and to his siblings Alex and Tali, who are residents of the city."
On his Facebook account, Rozenwald frequently shared posts about the war and the hostages. In his last post, dated November 12, he shared a screenshot of a conversation with a soldier from his reserve battalion. The soldier wrote: "I received 1,000 shekels ($280) in cash from a kind citizen at a gas station on Highway 6 for the benefit of the company." Rozenwald wrote about it: "Today is a battle day—where all the ends will be silent, and only the beautiful people of Israel will remain! Don’t despair—Am Yisrael Chai!"
Rozenwald was interviewed last year by Israel's public broadcaster Kan after returning home for a brief break in which he shared his experiences. "It’s a joy to come home, to my wife and my dog. My wife is also pregnant, and first of all, she is the real hero. She coped and gave me the peace of mind to focus and deal with everything we faced. Of course, I missed my parents, my friends and my siblings.
"We’ve spent many Shabbats in various locations in the Gaza Strip, but we understand the importance of what we’re doing. Our battalion is fighting in the northern part of Gaza. We go into houses, and it’s simply unbelievable. In every house, there are weapons and explosives—mortar shells next to a baby’s crib or explosives under the bed. There are also uninvolved people in Gaza, I’m certain of that, but ultimately, when it’s everywhere, there’s simply no choice. It’s painful to hear accusations against the fighters."
"I share the grief of bereaved families and hope that all the hostages will return home as soon as possible, down to the very last one," he said. "We’ve been through tough times as a country and as a people, and I think we’ve been forcibly reminded that we have no other homeland. Let’s preserve the unifying discourse."
Maccabi Haifa Football Club paid tribute to the officer: "Maxim has been a season ticket holder in the northern lower stand since the 2014/15 season. He managed to attend the away game against Maccabi Petah Tikva on November 30, and this year, he became a father to a son named Orel—whom he registered on Maccabi Haifa’s website when he was just three months old. We will attend the funeral, embrace the family and honor his memory."
818 fallen soldiers in the war
This is the first announcement of the deaths of IDF soldiers in the Gaza Strip battlefield since the report of the deaths of Staff Sergeant Ido Zano, Sergeant Omri Cohen and Staff Sergeant Barak Daniel Halperin, who were killed in an anti-tank missile attack in Jabaliya in northern Gaza on December 9. The last fatality in Rafah before this incident was Captain Avraham Ben Pinchas, who was killed in an anti-tank attack on December 7.
Since the outbreak of the war on October 7 last year, 818 soldiers have been killed, including 386 who have died since the beginning of ground operations in the Gaza Strip approximately three weeks later.
Additionally, 5,490 soldiers have been injured since the beginning of the war: 801 of them were seriously injured, 1,369 sustained moderate injuries and 3,320 were lightly injured. Of these, 10 soldiers remain hospitalized in serious condition, 202 in moderate condition and nine in light condition.
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Recently, the IDF widened the Philadelphi Corridor to a width of just over 2 miles, similar to the expansion of the Netzarim Corridor, which has effectively become Israeli-controlled territory in northern Gaza.
Hundreds of buildings in neighborhoods like Tel al-Sultan have been leveled to the ground, and operational infrastructure and posts have been established in the area bordering Sinai for soldiers.
Nahal forces, who are stationed in the sector, continue their daily efforts to clear Rafah of terrorists and tunnels. In certain areas, they have reached the outskirts of Khan Younis, and according to military estimates, around 1,000 Palestinians remain in the city.