The two reservists who were killed in Gaza: Major (Maj.) (Res.) Yotam Itzhak Peled, 34 and Sgt. Maj. (res.) Mordechai Yosef Ben Shoam, 34 of the 8119th Battalion.
By Vered Weiss, World Israel News
Major (Maj.) (Res.) Yotam Itzhak Peled, 34, from Rosh Haayin, and Sgt. Maj. (res.) Mordechai Yosef Ben Shoam, 34, were killed in central Gaza in what the IDF describes as an “unusual incident” on Saturday.
Maj. Peled was a company commander of a logistical support unit from the 8119th Battalion.
Sgt. Major Mordechai Yosef Ben Shoam was a truck driver with the Jerusalem Brigade’s 8119th Battalion, from Geva Binyamin.
They were traveling in a convoy carrying supplies to IDF troops when terrorists detonated an explosive device.
Following the explosion, terrorists emerged from a building and began firing on IDF troops before escaping.
The Netzarim Corridor is supposed to be under high operational control by the IDF.
Major Peled volunteered for Chesed Chaim VeEmet, a charity assisting bereaved families.
Since October 7th, 691 IDF soldiers have been killed, with 331 in Gaza ground operations.
Last week, Sergeant Omer Ginzburg 19, from Kiryat Tivon, who served in the Paratroopers Brigade’s 101st Battalion, was killed in action in Khan Younis during a raid on terror targets.
Ginzburg was shot and killed by a Hamas sniper a year and a day after enlisting in the Paratroopers.
The IDF announced that its troops eliminated 50 Hamas tunnels in the Philadelphi corridor on Gaza’s border with Egypt.
“Forces of the [Combat Engineering Corps’] Yahalom [special operations] unit and 605th Battalion have been operating in the Philadelphi Corridor in Rafah for the past month,” the IDF said.
“As part of the engineering activities, the forces destroyed around 50 underground Hamas infrastructures,” the army added.
On Thursday, IDF Spokesperson Daniel Hagari announced that 17,000 terrorists have been killed since the beginning of the Gaza war.
“IDF forces continue to fight in Gaza—maneuvering in Rafah, Khan Yunis, the central Strip and are attacking everywhere. So far, we have eliminated more than 17,000 terrorists.”
“The significant combat and the ensuing high accomplishments impede Hamas’s ability to raise its head again and rebuild itself, and we are determined to keep this up,” the military spokesman added.