Two Israeli troops killed, other two injured in Gaza clash

JERUSALEM, Jan 7 (SABAH): An Israeli deputy company commander and another soldier were killed, and two others were injured, in a clash with Hamas soldiers in northern Gaza.

According to media reports, the military identified one of the dead as Eitan Israel Shiknazi, 24, from the settlement of Eli in the West Bank, a deputy company commander in the infantry Nahal Brigade’s 932nd Battalion. He “fell during combat” in the northern Gazan city of Beit Hanoun, the military said in a statement.

The name of the other fatality was not released because his family had not yet been notified, the military said, adding that he and the two injured soldiers also belonged to the 932nd Battalion.

According to media reports, four soldiers were hit by an anti-tank missile fired by Hamas soldiers at the building where they were staying.

The latest deaths brought the total number of Israeli soldiers killed to 827 since the beginning of the country’s multi-front war in October 2023.

According to the Gaza health authorities, Israeli strikes have martyred 45,854 people and injured 109,139 others in the Palestinian enclave since the conflict.