The Israeli army announced on Tuesday the deaths of four soldiers, including an officer, during a military operation in Jabaliya, in northern Gaza.
The Israeli military reported that Officer Yehonatan Johnny Keren, 22, and Sergeants Nissim Meital, 20, Aviv Gilboa, 21, and Naor Haimov, 22, all from Unit 888, were killed during combat in the northern Gaza Strip.
According to their statement, an additional officer from the same unit was critically injured in the same engagement.
The soldiers belonged to the elite ‘Multi-Dimensional Unit’, also known as the ‘Wraith Unit’, which specializes in operating across challenging terrains and all battlefronts.
Reports from the Israeli military indicate that the four soldiers were killed when an explosive device detonated inside a building in Jabaliya.
4 more Zionist soldiers killed in northern Gazahttps://t.co/P2g8OlP5II pic.twitter.com/UsSPKNGnX9
— IRNA News Agency (@IrnaEnglish) October 29, 2024
Jabaliya, under siege and relentless bombardment for nearly a month, has witnessed significant destruction and loss of life, with at least 115 Palestinians killed in Israeli raids across Gaza since dawn today.
For 25 days, the occupation forces have been conducting a brutal military campaign in the northern Gaza Strip, specifically targeting areas like Jabaliya and Beit Lahia.
This genocidal campaign has involved the bombardment of civilian areas, the demolition of homes, and the imposition of a strict blockade preventing the entry of aid, food, water, medicine, and fuel. This has led to the killing of over a thousand people, with thousands more injured and dozens still missing.
Ability to Strike
In other resistance operations, the Al-Nasser Salah Al-Din Brigades released footage showing mortar attacks on an Israeli command and control site in Jhar Al-Dik in central Gaza, in coordination with the Al-Quds Brigades. Additionally, the Al-Qassam Brigades aired images showing the destruction of a Merkava tank using a Shawath explosive device east of Jabaliya.
The destruction of a zionist Merkava tank with a Shuath explosive device east of Jabalia, northern Gaza Strip pic.twitter.com/d5UrXrl5PO
— The Palestine Chronicle (@PalestineChron) October 28, 2024
The Israeli army later confirmed the killing of a company commander in the 52nd Battalion, who succumbed to injuries sustained ten days prior in northern Gaza.
According to military and strategic expert Major General Mohammed al-Samadi, talking to Al-Jazeera, Palestinian Resistance forces maintain the capacity to strike the Israeli occupation despite the severe blockade.
Al-Samadi highlighted recent operations in Jabaliya, including the destruction of an Israeli tank, as evidence of the effectiveness of resistance tactics.
He elaborated that the resistance’s strategies rely on an in-depth understanding of the region’s geography, particularly in densely packed camps with narrow alleys, allowing for precise targeting of Israeli vehicles.
The military analyst also explained that explosive devices and anti-tank weaponry are meticulously hidden underground, ready to be deployed at opportune moments.
The remaining tunnel networks also provide flexibility in movement and the execution of operations for resistance fighters.
Al-Samadi further noted that the widespread destruction in Gaza, which has devastated over 86 percent of the region’s buildings, now presents a tactical advantage, as scattered debris offers fighters cover and concealment from Israeli forces and reconnaissance.
(PC, AJA)
