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The Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) announced on July 26 that one of its soldiers was killed while fighting in the area of Rafah in the southern Gaza Strip a day earlier.
The soldier served as an engineering vehicle operator in the Givati Infantry Brigade, the IDF said. According to an initial probe, he was killed by anti-tank fire that hit a D9 armored bulldozer he was operating in Rafah. The al-Qassam Brigade, the military wing of the Hamas Movement, claimed responsibility for the attack.
The death of the soldier brought Israel’s toll in the ground operations against Hamas and other armed factions in Gaza and along its border to 330. More than 2,000 other troops have been wounded in the Strip, so far.
The IDF has been facing fierce resistance from Hamas in Rafah and other parts of southern Gaza, including the city of Khan Younis where it recently renewed operations.
On July 25, the al-Qassam Brigades released video footage from Khan Younis showing its fighters severely damaging a Namer armored personnel carrier using a rocket-propelled grenade and destroying a Merkava M4 main battle tank with a heavy explosive device.
Despite taking some serious losses, the IDF continues to bombard Gaza, causing even more destruction and civilian casualties.
The Hamas-run health ministry in the Strip reported 30 deaths on July 25. Most of the victims were reportedly women and children.
“Israeli forces killed 30 people and injured 146 others in three ‘massacres’ against families in the last 24 hours,” the ministry said. “Many people are still trapped under rubble and on the roads as rescuers are unable to reach them.”
Including the latest deaths, the toll from the Israeli war on Gaza has reached 39,175, according to the ministry, which noted that more than 90,403 others have been wounded in the Strip, so far.
While recent reports by the mainstream media suggest that an agreement on a ceasefire in Gaza is near, Israel has been showing no signs of stopping or even slowing down its war on the Strip. Meanwhile, Hamas appears to be as strong as before.
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