Soldier KIA in Gaza, bringing IDF wartime toll to 870

Meanwhile, Israeli forces dismantled a Hamas compound located beneath the European Hospital in Khan Younis in southern Gaza.

By JNS

An Israel Defense Forces soldier was killed in action in the southern Gaza Strip on Monday, the military announced on Tuesday morning.

The soldier was identified as Staff Sgt. Naveh Leshem, 20, of the Golani Brigade’s 12th Battalion, from Nokdim.

On Monday, the IDF announced the death in Gaza of Capt. Tal Movshovitz, 28, a deputy company commander in the Golani Brigade’s 7086th Engineering Battalion, from Re’ut.

Two days earlier, Sgt. 1st Class (res.) Noam Shemesh, 21, of Jerusalem, was killed in combat in southern Gaza. Shemesh was a squad commander in the Shimshon Battalion 92 in the Kfir Brigade.

The death toll among Israeli troops stands at 870 on all fronts since the Hamas-led massacre on Oct. 7, 2023.

IDF dismantles Hamas compound under Khan Yunis hospital

Meanwhile, Israeli forces, including a Golani Brigade combat team and members of the elite Yahalom engineering unit, had dismantled a Hamas compound located beneath the European Hospital in Khan Younis in southern Gaza, the military said.

The operation followed weeks of effort, beginning in early June, to map out the extensive tunnel network beneath the hospital grounds.

It was within this underground complex that Mohammad Sinwar — brother of Hamas leader and Oct. 7 attack mastermind Yahya Sinwar — was killed in an Israeli airstrike on May 13.

Once the mapping was complete, the IDF used dozens of trucks and cement mixers to seal off the tunnel system, pouring in an estimated 250 cubic meters of concrete.

The military emphasized that the hospital building itself was not damaged during the operation.