Three soldiers martyred in clashes with Hamas in Gaza, man missing since October 7 declared dead

Latest casualties include three soldiers; families mourn losses amid escalating conflict

Jerusalem, Israel: The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) announced on Monday the deaths of three soldiers in a continued ground offensive against the Palestinian militant group. The military death toll has now reached 75 since the offensive began in late October.

The soldiers who lost their lives in the recent clashes were Sgt. Maj. (res.) Neriya Shaer, 36, of the 55th Reserve Paratroopers Brigade’s 6655th Battalion from Yavne, Sgt. First Class (res.) Ben Zussman, 22, of the Combat Engineering Corps’ 601st Battalion from Jerusalem, and Sgt. Binyamin Yehoshua Needham, 19, also of the Combat Engineering Corps’ 601st Battalion from Zichron Yaakov. 

Shaer was killed in the central Gaza Strip, while Zussman and Needham lost their lives in the northern part of the enclave.

Families of the fallen soldiers were notified before the IDF made the public announcement. In an online post, Shaer’s sister, Hadar, described him as a “humble person, with a heart of gold, a giver, and loved his country.” Zussman was remembered by a friend as someone with a sense of humour, a hard worker, and always fully invested in any task.

The IDF also reported that a soldier from the Combat Engineering Corps’ 601st Battalion was seriously wounded in battles in northern Gaza on Sunday.

The conflict, which began on October 7, has seen a total of 401 IDF soldiers losing their lives, with 75 casualties occurring during the ground offensive inside the Gaza Strip. Most other casualties resulted from fighting with Hamas terrorists in southern Israel, primarily on the day of the initial onslaught.

In a separate tragic incident, the family of Yonatan Samarno, 21, from Tel Aviv, received devastating news about his fate. Samarno had attended the Nova music festival near Kibbutz Re’im with friends when the Hamas terrorists launched an attack that claimed more than 360 lives.

While his two friends’ bodies were later found, there was no trace of Samarno. His family initially received information suggesting he had been shot, but his condition remained unclear. Later, they were informed that he was likely among those being held as hostages in Gaza.

The IDF, in recent days, confirmed the deaths of several hostages held by Hamas based on new intelligence and findings obtained by troops operating in Gaza. 

Israel has maintained its commitment to dismantling Hamas following the October 7 massacres, during which Palestinian terrorists crossed the border from Gaza, resulting in the deaths of approximately 1,200 people, mostly civilians, and the taking of around 240 hostages.

The military’s recent expansion of operations into southern Gaza reflects the belief that Hamas’s leadership is hiding in the region. 

Hamas, on the other hand, claims that the Israeli military campaign has led to the deaths of more than 15,500 people, predominantly civilians. These numbers, however, have not been independently verified and are believed to include combatants as well as Palestinian civilians killed by rockets launched by terror groups.

As the conflict continues to escalate, families on both sides mourn the loss of loved ones, highlighting the devastating human toll of the ongoing hostilities. The international community closely watches as efforts to de-escalate and find a lasting solution face significant challenges.

This article was created using automation technology and was thoroughly edited and fact-checked by one of our editorial staff members