Herzog visits graves of soldiers slain in Hamas war

The death toll among Israeli troops since the start of the Gaza ground incursion on Oct. 27, 2023, now stands at 467, and at 914 on all fronts since the Hamas-led massacre on Oct. 7, 2023.

By JNS

Israeli President Isaac Herzog on Friday visited the National Military Cemetery in Jerusalem, to pay his respects at the graves of soldiers killed in action during the Swords of Iron war against Hamas.

“Now leaving Mount Herzl, from the sections where those who fell in the brutal war are buried, those who paid the ultimate price,” said Herzog.

The president came “to honor and salute the heroes of Israel as we await the return of the kidnapped for whom they fought. May their memory be blessed.”

On Thursday, Sgt. 1st Class (res.) Michael Mordechai Nachmani, 26, from the 614th Combat Engineering Battalion, was killed in action in the northern Gaza Strip, hours before a ceasefire took effect as part of U.S. President Donald Trump’s peace plan.

According to an initial IDF probe, he was killed by a Hamas sniper in Gaza City.

The death toll among Israeli troops since the start of the Gaza ground incursion on Oct. 27, 2023, now stands at 467, and at 914 on all fronts since the Hamas-led massacre on Oct. 7, 2023.

Early Friday morning, the Israeli Cabinet approved the first stage of a Trump administration-brokered plan aimed at ending the war in Gaza.

Under the deal, Israel is expected to receive by 6 a.m. Monday 20 living hostages and the bodies of another 28.