In the worst day for the Israel Defense Forces since the war against the terrorist group Hamas began, 21 Israeli soldiers were killed in the southern Gaza Strip on Monday.
The soldiers were reportedly preparing two ten-story buildings for demolition when a Palestinian terrorist was reported to have emerged from a tunnel shaft and fired an RPG at a tank that was protecting the soldiers, killing two soldiers and wounding two others. A second reported RPG blast may have triggered an explosion in the buildings, causing them to collapse with the soldiers inside.
Five hundred and fifty-six Israeli soldiers have been killed since the October 7 Hamas massacre of 1,200 Israelis; that would be the equivalent of roughly 4,500 American soldiers.
"Approved for publication," is more than a phrase, it is the term the @IDFSpokesperson uses when the painful announcement of soldiers fallen is made. An announcement made to the public only after the bereaved families are notified. A task challenged today by the endless flow of… pic.twitter.com/oVPgNseTtg
— Lt. Col. (R) Peter Lerner (@LTCPeterLerner) January 23, 2024
IDF spokesperson Daniel Hagari stated that the families of the fallen soldiers had been notified. The soldiers were identified as;
Sergeant Major (res.) Itamar Tal, 32.
Sergeant Major (res.) Adam Bismut, 35.
Sergeant Major (res.) Shay Biton Hayun, 40.
Sergeant Major (res.) Zegeye Danielk Kasau, 38.
Sergeant Major (res.) Matan Lazar, 32.
Sergeant first class (res.) Hadar Kapeluk, 23.
Sergeant Major (res.) Sergey Gontmaherr, 37.
Sergeant first class (res.) Elkana Yehuda Sfez, 25.
Sergeant first class (res.) Yuval Lopez, 27.
Master sergeant (res.) Yoav Levi, 29.
Sergeant first class (res.) Nicholas Berger, 22.
Sergeant first class (res.) Cydrick Garin, 23.
Sergeant Major (res.) Rafael Elias Mosheyoff, 33.
Sergeant Major (res.) Barak Haim Ben Valid, 33.
Sergeant First Class (res.) Ahmad Abu Latif, 26.
Captain (res.) Nir Binyamin, 29.
Master Sergeant (res.) Elkana Vizel, 35.
Sergeant First Class (res.) Israel Socol, 24.
Captain (res.) Ariel Mordechay Wollfstal, 28.
Sergeant First Class (res.) Sagi Idan, 24.
Sergeant major Mark Kononovich, 35.
In response to the deaths of the Israeli soldiers, a huge banner was unveiled in Iran’s capital, Tehran, featuring a pile of dead Israeli soldiers with a menorah posed to fall. The banner read, “The storm continues,” a reference to the October 7 massacre, which Hamas called the “Al Aqsa Storm.”
“It’s important to note that such a banner would not go up unless it was approved by people familiar with the Supreme Leader’s thinking and what his red lines are on propaganda,” commentator Yashar Ali noted.
NEW
In the aftermath of the greatest loss of IDF soldiers in a single day since the war began, the Islamic Republic of Iran has installed a new banner in Palestine Square in Tehran.
It features artwork of a pile of dead Israeli soldiers, with a menorah lit ablaze that is about… pic.twitter.com/TfwEy5fmQE
— Yashar Ali 🐘 (@yashar) January 23, 2024