The IDF announced on Saturday that Sergeant First Class (res.) Danil Pechenyuk, aged 26, from Bat Yam, Sergeant First Class (res.) Nitai Metodi, aged 23, from Ashkelon, and Sergeant Major (res.) Yaniv Itzhak Oren, aged 35, from Ein Gedi, fell during combat in the central Gaza Strip.
Danil Pechenyuk and Nitai Metodi were killed in a severe explosive incident on Friday that also claimed the life of Sergeant First Class (res.) Evyatar Atuar, while seven additional soldiers were injured.
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Danil Pechenyuk, Nitai Metodi, and Yaniv Itzhak Oren
(Photo: IDF Spokesperson's Unit)
The incident involving the three fallen soldiers also left seven others wounded: four critically and three moderately. It occurred during a battalion raid conducted by a unit from the 16th Reserve Brigade, which was expanding its operations into the Zeitoun neighborhood south of Gaza City, north of the Netzarim Corridor, to locate tunnels, terror infrastructure, and Hamas weapons.
Since the start of the war, 699 IDF soldiers have been killed, 336 of whom died during the ground operation in Gaza. A total of 4,376 soldiers have been wounded, including 650 in serious condition. Since the beginning of the ground operation, the number of wounded has reached 2,249, with 422 in serious condition. According to the IDF, 23 soldiers remain hospitalized in serious condition, 171 are in moderate condition, and 8 are in mild condition.
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Sergeant First Class (res.) Evyatar Atuar who also fell on Friday
(Photo: IDF Spokesperson's Unit)
On Friday, around 8:20 am, a unit from Battalion 6310 entered a building on the outskirts of the neighborhood for a sweep, led by a team commander and four soldiers. An explosive device hidden in the building’s exterior wall went undetected and was detonated as the soldiers were regrouping outside. The injured soldiers were evacuated in two quick helicopter airlifts to hospitals in Israel.
Initial military assessments suggest that the terrorists likely spotted the soldiers from a distance using a surveillance camera set up on the street. This tactic appears to be part of Hamas's ongoing efforts in northern Gaza to study and adapt to IDF operations during recent raids.