Katz following company commander death and wounding of others: the dangers are great and the prices are heavy

Israeli Defence Minister Israel Katz said “the achievements are great, but still, the dangers are great and the prices are heavy,” in a post on X Friday evening, after a deputy company commander in the Armoured Corps was killed and others were wounded by an anti-tank missile and a sniper operation in Rafah, southern Gaza Strip.

Katz said, “Thousands of IDF soldiers in the standing army and reserves are now heroically fighting in Gaza for the release of hostages and to destroy Hamas terrorists.”

“The IDF is operating with intensity, providing a comprehensive defence envelope for forces manoeuvring from the air, land, and sea, and accompanying the activity with heavy weapons to thwart explosive devices and destroy threatening structures,” he said.

“All Israeli citizens must embrace and strengthen IDF commanders and soldiers and pray for their safety and success,” he adds, noting “the achievements are great, but still, the dangers are great and the prices are heavy.”

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Earlier, Israeli media reported that intense fighting was taking place in the Gaza Strip, resulting in the death of one soldier and the serious injury of six others in several areas of the Gaza Strip.

They reported that a soldier was killed in the Ma’arik neighbourhood of Tel al-Sultan in Rafah, as the area was bombarded with heavy artillery and aircraft fire. The sounds of massive explosions were heard from areas surrounding Rafah.

The media reports noted that some of those injured in the security incident in Rafah were members of the undercover Yamas unit, belonging to the Israeli Border Police unit.

Israeli news sites reported that three of soldiers evacuated from Gaza are in critical condition, with settler accounts posting photos of a military evacuation helicopter landing at Ichilov Hospital in Tel Aviv. Other accounts also reported that two other incidents occurred in the Shuja’iyya and Zeitoun neighbourhoods, noting that one soldier was seriously injured.

Palestinian websites reported that the occupation forces had fired heavy smoke bombs in areas east of Gaza amid violent clashes in the area, before announcing the injury of two occupation soldiers.

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