Illustrative image.
The Israeli military and police acknowledged on April 26 that a soldier and a police officer were killed during fighting against the Hamas Movement in the Gaza Strip a day earlier.
The slain soldier was a platoon commander in the 401st Armored Brigade’s 46th Battalion, while the slain police officer was serving in the ranks of the Border Police’s Yamas covert unit.
According to an initial probe by the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF), during operations in Gaza City’s Shejaiya neighborhood in the north of the Strip troops of the Jerusalem Reserve Infantry Brigade and members of the police’s Yamas unit set up an ambush in a building.
Hamas fighters arrived at the ambush site, and the troops opened fire on them. The Yamas officer was killed during the exchange of fire.
The IDF then dispatched rescue forces to the scene to extract the troops from the ambush site. However, a Humvee armored vehicle was hit by a rocket-propelled grenade while heading to the site. As a result, one soldier was moderately wounded.
Several IDF tanks, part of the rescue forces, later came under anti-tank fire. At least five rocket-propelled grenades were launched at the tanks, one of which killed the 46th Battalion soldier and lightly wounded another.
Two reservists of the Jerusalem Brigade’s 7007th Battalion were also moderately wounded by rocket-propelled grenades fire and light arms in Shejaiya.
Separately in southern Gaza, four soldiers were wounded as a result of an attack by Hamas in the Philadelphi Corridor area, next to the Tel Sultan neighborhood of Rafah area. The soldiers, who were carrying out a logistics supply mission, were hit by explosive devices and light arms fire, according to an initial IDF probe.
The military said that one soldier was seriously wounded, one was listed in moderate condition, and two were lightly injured.
The latest deaths brought the number of Israelis killed since the IDF renewed its offensive against Hamas in Gaza on March 18 to four.
The IDF has so far occupied around 30% of Gaza’s territories, supposedly to establish a buffer zone and security corridors. While the military didn’t face any resistance in the first few weeks, the situation changed in recent days with casualties being reported on a near-daily basis.
The recent losses didn’t deter Israel, however. On April 26, the IDF said that it was preparing to significantly expand its offensive against Hamas if the talks on a new ceasefire-hostage deal continue to stall.
The intensified offensive will see the military call up a large number of reservists and operate in new areas of Gaza, according to the IDF, which didn’t elaborate.
Talks on a ceasefire-hostage deal are yet to make a breakthrough, despite reports of Hamas offering to release all the remaining hostages – at least 59, including 24 who are believed to be still alive – in a single phase. Overall, Israel appears to be seeking the complete destruction of Hamas.
_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
SouthFront: Analysis and Intelligence
NOW hosted at southfront.press
Previously, SouthFront: Analysis and Intelligence was at southfront.org.
The .org domain name had been blocked by the US (NATO) (https://southfront.press/southfront-org-blocked-by-u-s-controlled-global-internet-supervisor/) globally, outlawed and without any explanation
Back before that, from 2013 to 2015, SouthFront: Analysis and Intelligence was at southfront.com
two less than a few days ago. one a ‘covert’ unit police. that’s good.
a small bonus for humanity
#1 amerikunt loser in gay tel aviv bar swallowing jizz
lol
die jews, die!
more of the same and the cowardly jews will be on the run. trust dump and son in law kushner will open their hearts and receive the jews fleeing from palestine. what the american people might say is of little concern, emasculated as they are!
get the people on the bus to cairo and turn gaza into a nature preserve. end the festivities this year.