Last Monday, three Israeli soldiers were killed in a deadly ambush in northern Gaza, which also resulted in the injury of two additional Israeli troops. The attack was carried out by Hamas' 'Al-Qassam' Brigades, who targeted the Humvee operated by the soldiers using rocket-propelled grenade (RPG) rounds.
According to reports from Israeli media, the evacuation of the wounded soldiers proved to be particularly challenging, as Israeli military helicopters attempting to extract the injured personnel came under intense and sustained fire from Palestinian fighters. This level of resistance was highly unusual, as Palestinian fighters typically retreat immediately after successfully striking Israel Defense Forces personnel. However, in this case, they appeared to maintain their positions and continued engaging the evacuation aircraft, complicating Israeli rescue efforts.
Staff Sergeant Lior Steinberg, aged 20; Staff Sergeant Ofek Barhana, also aged 20; and Staff Sergeant Omer Van Gelder, aged 22, all members of the 9th Battalion of the elite 'Givati' Brigade, were the three Israeli soldiers killed in the recent ambush in northern Gaza. These young soldiers were part of an active combat unit engaged in ongoing military operations within the Gaza Strip.
Their deaths have brought the total number of Israeli military personnel killed since the beginning of the war on October 7 to 861. Of that total, at least 423 soldiers have been killed during ground operations inside the Gaza Strip, highlighting the significant toll the conflict continues to exact on Israeli forces engaged in urban and guerrilla warfare against well-entrenched Palestinian resistance groups.