Sgt. First Class Tal Lahat, 21, of the Maglan commando unit, from Kfar Saba was killed in battle in the central Gaza Strip, the IDF announced on Wednesday morning. Lahat was killed Tuesday in a battle in the center of the Gaza Strip in the area of the Netarim Corridor.
The IDF spokesman announced that Lahat was posthumously promoted from the rank of sergeant to lieutenant colonel. His funeral is scheduled for Wednesday at 5 p.m. in the Kfar Saba military cemetery.
The municipality of Kfar Saba paid tribute to the fallen soldier. "Tal, son of Ran and Ronit, and brother of Jonathan, a graduate of the Gordon School, Shazar Division and Rabin High School in the city, was a smiling, sociable young man, who fought bravely and fiercely for the defense of the homeland with all of his soul."
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Sgt. First Class Tal Lahat, 21, of the Maglan commando unit, from Kfar Saba, was killed in battle in central Gaza
(Photo: IDF Spokesperson's Unit)
"This morning broke with hard and unfortunate news, with the death of Sergeant Tal Lahat. I express my condolences and send hugs to the family. The municipality of Kfar Saba accompanies and supports the family members in their difficult time," Kfar Saba Mayor Rafi Saar said.
Since the beginning of the war, 681 soldiers have fallen, including 325 in the ground operation in Gaza.
For more than a week, the Paratroopers Brigade, the 7th Brigade and the Yahalom Unit have been fighting both above and below ground in the Shijaiya area under the command of the 98th Division.
The soldiers of the division engaged in close-quarters combat with terrorist cells and eliminated more than 150 terrorists, dismantled terrorist infrastructure and encountered and destroyed booby-trapped buildings and explosives. In addition, the soldiers located dozens of weapons and intelligence documents that the terrorists left behind.
As a result of intelligence and engineering efforts, the soldiers located tunnel shafts and significant tunnel routes. In the division-level operation, six terror tunnels, about six kilometers long, were located and destroyed. The soldiers continue to examine and destroy the tunnels in the area.
During the examination of the tunnels, the soldiers of the Yahalom Unit located underground tunnels consisting of a branched tunnel system. In some of the branches, terrorists' hideouts and control and command centers were located. In one of the tunnels, weapons and intelligence documents were located.
The purpose of the 98th Division's raid on Shijaiya is to locate Hamas terror tunnels, some of which are defined as "approach tunnels" to the border fence, from which terrorists can reach kibbutzim such as Nahal Oz and Kfar Aza.
Before locating the six tunnels that were destroyed, troops also found the Islamic Jihad's "flagship tunnel" in the neighborhood, spanning 2.5 kilometers (1.5 miles). This tunnel contained numerous command and control posts, allowing local terror battalion commanders – known for their strength and as a front-line force against Israel – to survive. The IDF believed that three more underground tunnels would be discovered in the Shijaiyah neighborhood in the coming days.
The raid on the neighborhood began 12 days ago with a rapid ground and air assault on the local Hamas battalion headquarters. This headquarters had been rebuilt since the IDF completed its previous maneuver in Shijaiyah about six months ago. It was established in the western part of the neighborhood, deep within Gaza City, inside a shelter housing approximately 1,000 Gazans. Among them were 150 terrorists, most of whom fled upon the arrival of the forces.