Four Israeli soldiers killed in Hamas terrorist attack on IDF outpost in outskirts of Gaza City

The IDF has published the names of four soldiers who were killed in a Hamas attack on an outpost in Jabaliya, in the outskirts of Gaza City early on Monday morning. 

The four slain soldiers were listed as: 

Lt. Matan Abramovitz, 21, from Ganei Tikva; Staff Sgt. Uri Lamed, 20, from Tel Mond; Sgt. Amit Arye Regev, 19, from Modi’in; and Sgt. Gadi Cotal, 20, from Kibbutz Afikim; all soldiers of the 401st Armored Brigade’s 52nd Battalion. 

The attack began after the battalion’s forces had returned to the outpost following nighttime maneuvers in the area. At around 6 a.m., the soldiers were preparing for “dawn alert,” and commanders were conducting a situational assessment following the night’s operations. 

At the same time, terrorists arrived at the outpost where the Nahal Brigade’s 50th Battalion was stationed. They approached a tank of the 401st Brigade, which was in a defensive position near the outpost, throwing an explosive device at the tank from close range and opening fire on the tank crew.

The hatch of the tank was apparently open at the time of the attack, and the explosion killed all four soldiers of the tank crew.

Other fighters from the 50th Battalion identified three terrorists in the area and opened fire on them, killing one of the terrorists. A Nahal Brigade infantry fighter was wounded during this exchange of fire. 

According to the IDF’s initial investigation, the tank was stationed outside the security perimeter of the outpost, and the crew was not asleep at the time of the attack. There are no indications that the terrorists attempted to kidnap any of the soldiers, as appears to have been the plan in another attack last week. 

The military believes that the attack was part of the guerrilla warfare strategy that Hamas will be using during Operation Gideon’s Chariots II. The IDF is also investigating to see if the terrorists emerged from an undiscovered tunnel shaft nearby. 

After the deaths were announced, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said that “the entire people of Israel bows its head in mourning for the fall of four armored fighters.” 

“My wife and I, together with all the citizens of Israel, send our condolences to the bereaved families, share in their heavy grief, and embrace them,” Netanyahu continued.

“Our fighters acted with courage and self-sacrifice to defeat Hamas and return all our hostages. In the spirit of their heroism, we will not relent from these missions until they are achieved.” 

“May their memory be blessed and preserved in our hearts forever,” he concluded. 

Since the beginning of the war, 460 soldiers have been killed fighting in the Gaza Strip, while 904 soldiers have died in total, including those killed during the Oct. 7 Hamas invasion, along with around 50 killed fighting against Hezbollah in southern Lebanon. 

On Tuesday morning, the IDF Arabic Spokesman Col. Avichay Adraee posted a message calling on all the residents of Gaza City to evacuate south towards the humanitarian zone of al-Mawasi. 

“An urgent message to the residents of Gaza City from the Old City and Al-Tuffah in the east to the sea in the west: For your safety, move immediately towards Al-Mawasi via Al-Rashid Street,” Adraee said.

“Staying in the city is extremely dangerous. The IDF will act with great force in the area.”