The Israel Defense Forces on Wednesday, reported the death of four Israeli soldiers and injuries to several others during clashes in the southern Gaza Strip the previous day.
This tragic development brings the total Israeli casualties in the ongoing ground offensive against Hamas and related military operations to 348, including a police officer killed in a hostage rescue mission and a civilian contractor from the Defense Ministry.
Among the fallen, Naim was notably the first female soldier to die in the IDF’s ground operations against Hamas in Gaza. This incident occurred after the soldiers entered a booby-trapped building in Rafah’s Tel Sultan neighborhood.
Initial investigations revealed that the soldiers were caught in a trap set by Hamas, which had extensively booby-trapped entire neighborhoods in Rafah, unlike the isolated incidents in other areas of the Strip.
In addition to the fatalities, the operation resulted in severe injuries to an officer and two soldiers from the Shaked Battalion, with two additional soldiers from the same battalion sustaining moderate injuries.
The IDF reported encountering a significant number of booby-trapped homes and tunnels during their operations in Rafah.
The previous week, the IDF declared victory over Hamas’s Rafah Brigade, claiming the death of at least 2,308 operatives and the destruction of over 13 kilometers (8 miles) of tunnels.
Despite this, military officials anticipate that smaller Hamas cells may persist and continue to pose a threat.
In a separate incident on Tuesday, an officer in the Givati Brigade’s Reconnaissance Unit was critically injured by RPG fire in Rafah.
The conflict, which began on October 7 when Hamas-led militants attacked southern Israeli communities, has resulted in approximately 1,200 deaths, mostly civilians, and the abduction of 251 hostages.
The Hamas-run Gaza health ministry reports over 41,000 fatalities in the Strip, though this figure remains unverified and does not distinguish between civilians and fighters. Israel claims to have killed around 17,000 combatants and an additional 1,000 terrorists during the October 7 attacks.
The Israeli government emphasizes its efforts to minimize civilian casualties while accusing Hamas of using civilian areas—such as homes, hospitals, schools, and mosques—as shields for their operations.
