An Israeli soldier and a police officer were killed Friday during intense clashes with Hamas operatives in Gaza City’s Shejaiya neighborhood, the military announced.
Cpt. Ido Voloch, 21, a platoon commander from Jerusalem, and Sgt. Neta Yitzhak Kahane of the Border Police’s Yamas unit, lost their lives during an ambush operation deep inside Gaza.
Israeli forces set up a trap for Hamas fighters, but during the exchange of fire, Kahane was fatally shot. Shortly after, an army Humvee sent to assist was struck by RPG fire, moderately injuring a soldier. An hour later, Hamas fighters launched multiple RPGs at IDF tanks, killing Voloch and lightly wounding another soldier. Two reservists were later wounded in the same area.
Meanwhile, the IDF warned that if hostage negotiations with Hamas continue to stall, it will launch a major new offensive, calling up additional reservists and expanding operations across Gaza.
On Friday, four more Israeli soldiers were wounded in a Hamas attack near Rafah during a logistics mission.
Since resuming operations in March, the IDF has struck over 1,800 targets, killing an estimated 400 terror operatives, including senior Hamas officials.
The Hamas-run health ministry claims over 2,100 Palestinians have been killed since March, though figures remain unverified.
Israel is also considering setting up a new humanitarian zone in southern Gaza to provide aid to civilians as fighting escalates.
The war, sparked by Hamas’s October 7 assault that killed 1,200 people and took 251 hostages, continues with no clear end in sight. Fifty-nine hostages remain captive in Gaza.
