3 soldiers KIA in Gaza fighting, bringing death toll to 401

The soldiers were killed by a large explosive fired at their tank in the northern Gaza city of Beit Hanoun.

By World Israel News Staff

Three Israeli soldiers were killed in battle in the Gaza Strip on Wednesday, bringing the IDF death toll for the ground invasion of the coastal enclave to 401.

The latest casualties were identified as Staff Sgt. Matityahu Ya’akov Perel, 22, from Beit El, Staff Sgt. Kanaoo Kasa, 22, from Beit Shemesh, and Staff Sgt. Nevo Fisher, 20, from Bruchin.

All of the men served in the 401st Armored Brigade’s 46th Battalion, and were operating in Beit Hanoun, in the northern Strip.

Initial findings from an IDF probe into the incident, which wounded three others, indicate that the soldiers’ tank was stuck by a “large explosive device.”

Perel was moderately wounded in battle several months ago, but he insisted upon returning to his unit and continuing to fight against Hamas.

According to a statement eulogizing Perel by a local community leader, Matanya Shnerb, two of his relatives fell in battle during the War of Independence and the First Lebanon War.

He is survived by his parents and several siblings.

Kasa was from “a family of immigrants from Ethiopia, a 22-year-old in mandatory service who fought on the front lines from the beginning of the war,” read a statement from the Beit Shemesh municipality.

The 18th soldier from Beit Shemesh to be killed in action, Kasa is survived by his parents and five brothers and sisters.

Fisher’s parents were among the founders of Bruchin, the town where he was born and raised. He is survived by his parents and three siblings.

Since the Israeli invasion of the Gaza Strip began in late October 2023, 401 soldiers have been killed.

Including deaths that occurred on October 7th and in the battles before the ground invasion, a total of 830 soldiers have been killed since the Hamas invasion of southern Israel.