Running For Their Lives: An Israeli soldier runs with shell next to artillery cannons at the Israeli-Gaza border. Image by Getty Images

Two American men were among the 13 Israeli soldiers killed in the conflict in Gaza on Sunday, the U.S. State Department said, the bloodiest day of the conflict, in which about 100 Palestinians were also killed.

Max Steinberg, a native of California’s San Fernando Valley, was a sniper in the Golani Brigade of the Israel Defense Forces, according to a letter sent by the Jewish Federation of Greater Los Angeles to its email list.

Nissim Sean Carmeli, of South Padre Island in Texas, was also fighting in the Golani Brigade, the Houston Chronicle reported.

Forwarding the News

Thoughtful, balanced reporting from the Forward and around the web, bringing you updated news and analysis each day.

Terms(Required)

I agree to the Forward's Terms of Service and Privacy Policy

Email(Required)

The U.S. Department of State confirmed both deaths, and said both men were citizens of the United States. A woman who answered the telephone at a business owned by Carmeli’s parents in South Padre Island said they were on their way to Israel on Sunday night.

The soldiers were fighting in a battle near Shejaia, the embattled neighborhood east of the city of Gaza.

Sunday’s death toll was the highest for the Israeli military since a 2006 war against Hizbollah guerrillas in Lebanon and the most Palestinians killed since fighting began on July 8.

The Forward is free to read, but it isn’t free to produce

I hope you appreciated this article. Before you go, I’d like to ask you to please support the Forward.

Now more than ever, American Jews need independent news they can trust, with reporting driven by truth, not ideology. We serve you, not any ideological agenda.

At a time when other newsrooms are closing or cutting back, the Forward has removed its paywall and invested additional resources to report on the ground from Israel and around the U.S. on the impact of the war, rising antisemitism and polarized discourse.

Readers like you make it all possible. Support our work by becoming a Forward Member and connect with our journalism and your community.

This is a great time to support independent Jewish journalism you rely on. Make a gift today!

—  Rachel Fishman Feddersen, Publisher and CEO

Support our mission to tell the Jewish story fully and fairly.

$90 $180

$360

Other amount