An Israeli soldier was killed and five others were wounded, three seriously, in a Hamas attack in northern Gaza on Saturday, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) confirmed.
Warrant Officer G’haleb Sliman Alnasasra, 35, from Rahat, was killed during operations near Beit Hanoun. He was a tracker in the Gaza Division’s Northern Brigade and the first soldier to die in Gaza since Israel resumed its offensive on March 18.
The attack occurred when Hamas operatives emerged from a tunnel and fired a rocket-propelled grenade (RPG) at an unarmored IDF vehicle. Three female soldiers from the 414th Combat Intelligence Unit were seriously wounded. A second explosion minutes later killed Alnasasra and injured two other trackers.
The IDF responded with targeted airstrikes in the area, aiming to eliminate the attackers. Alnasasra’s death brings the Israeli death toll in the Gaza ground offensive and related operations to 411.
Meanwhile, the IDF continues extensive operations across Gaza. Over the weekend, Israeli forces struck more than 150 Hamas targets, including tunnels, weapon depots, and rocket launch sites. In the southern Morag Corridor, the 188th Armored Brigade reportedly killed over 40 militants and destroyed Hamas vehicles and weapons.
In Rafah’s Shaboura camp, troops located and demolished a booby-trapped tunnel and seized additional weapons.
The war began on October 7, 2023, when Hamas-led terrorists infiltrated Israel, killing around 1,200 people and taking 251 hostages. Israel says it has killed around 20,000 Hamas fighters in Gaza and continues efforts to dismantle Hamas infrastructure.
