Israeli Soldier Killed During Special Operation In Gaza
Image by Getty Images
Image by Getty Images
JERUSALEM (JTA) — An Israeli soldier was killed and another injured during the Israel Defense Forces special forces operation deep inside the Gaza Strip.
The operation was exposed on Sunday night leading to clashes between Israeli soldiers and Hamas fighters in Gaza, and the firing of 17 rockets from Gaza on southern Israel. Three of the rockets were intercepted by the Iron Dome missile defense system, according to the IDF.
Seven Palestinians were killed in the clashes, including a senior Hamas commander.
The soldier was identified on Monday morning only as Col. M, a 41-year-old father of two. His name and photo were ordered to remain under a gag order by the military censor, after the military said that identifying him would jeopardize national security.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu left Paris, where he was attending the Paris Peace Forum and ceremonies to mark the 100th anniversary of the end of World War I. He had been scheduled to meet Monday with French President Emmanel Marcon. Netanyahu received a security briefing from senior IDF officials upon arrival back in Israel.
The IDF said in a statement that the special operation “was not intended to kill or abduct terrorists, but to strengthen Israeli security. The force waged a heroic and very complex battle and was able to exfiltrate in its entirety. We salute the bravery of Lt. Col. M. and his peers.”
It noted that the IDF soldier was killed and the second injured during the “initial incident” and not during the rescue operation.
School was cancelled for Monday in southern Israeli communities and the Ashkelon to Sderot train line was cancelled for Monday over fears of more rockets being fired from Gaza. The last rockets had been fired at about 1 a.m.
Alyssa Fisher is a news writer at the Forward. Email her at [email protected], or follow her on Twitter at @alyssalfisher
This is a moment of great uncertainty. Here’s what you can do about it.
We hope you appreciated this article. Before you go, we’d like to ask you to please support the Forward’s independent Jewish news this Passover. All donations are being matched by the Forward Board - up to $100,000.
This is a moment of great uncertainty for the news media, for the Jewish people, and for our sacred democracy. It is a time of confusion and declining trust in public institutions. An era in which we need humans to report facts, conduct investigations that hold power to account, tell stories that matter and share honest discourse on all that divides us.
With no paywall or subscriptions, the Forward is entirely supported by readers like you. Every dollar you give this Passover is invested in the future of the Forward — and telling the American Jewish story fully and fairly.
The Forward doesn’t rely on funding from institutions like governments or your local Jewish federation. There are thousands of readers like you who give us $18 or $36 or $100 each month or year.
Support our mission to tell the Jewish story fully and fairly.
