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The Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) announced on March 9 that one of its commanding officers was killed while taking part in ground operations in the southern Gaza Strip a day earlier.
The slain officer was identified as 43-year-old reserve Major Ben David, who was head of the Commando Brigade chief’s forward command team.
The Commando Brigade has been operating at the Hamad Town residential complex in the city of Khan Younis in southern Gaza for the last few days.
On March 8, the military wing of Hamas, the Izz ad-Din al-Qassam Brigades, said that its fighters ambushed an Israeli unit made up of six troops in the residential complex. Maj. David was likely killed in that attack. The IDF didn’t report any other casualties on that day.
IDF recent losses in Khan Younis were not limited to casualties. On March 9, the Izz ad-Din al-Qassam Brigades released a video showing the remains of several Israeli main battle tanks, armored personnel carriers and bulldozers which were targeted in the city. The footage also shows two damaged M548 Alfa tracked ammunition carriers which were abandoned by Israeli troops.
In northern Gaza, the IDF is also being attacked. On March 10, the al-Quds Brigades, the military wing of the Palestinian Islamic Jihad, shared video footage of recent mortar attacks on Israeli gatherings in Gaza City’s Zeitoun neighborhood.
Despite occupying much of Gaza’s northern part and large areas in the center and the south, the IDF is yet to achieve any of its objectives.
In recent months, the IDF withdrew several formations from Gaza. Still, plans to further expand operations in the southern part of the Strip were reportedly approved. Israel’s next target will likely be the area of Rafah on the border with Egypt, where more than one million Palestinains have been taking shelter.
Currently, the death toll of Israeli operations in Gaza stands at around 31,000. Tens of thousands more will die if the IDF went on with its plans.
