The IDF Spokesperson’s Unit said on Tuesday that Warrant Officer (res.) Sebastian Haion, 51, from Rosh Haayin, a commander in the 401st Brigade, fell in clashes against terrorists in the Al Shifa Hospital in northern Gaza.
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Warrant Officer Haion is the second IDF casualty in the fighting in the Gazan hospital since the renewal of operations there early on Monday, after Nahal Brigade soldier Staff Sergeant Matan Vinogradov, was killed in battles against Hamas terrorists inside the hospital.
Since the start of the war in Gaza, 594 IDF soldiers have fallen, 251 of them since the beginning of the military’s ground operation in the Gaza Strip.
"We have no other home, and we can’t afford to lose. We must win," Warrant Officer Haion wrote on his Facebook page on January 27th. He was one of the older reservist soldiers who fell since the start of the war.
The military’s raid on the Al Shifa Hospital began at 2:30 a.m. on Monday, as part of a surprise operation that began with the compound being surrounded by forces including special commando units that entered the hospital.
"Over 200 terrorists have been arrested in the hospital," IDF Spokesperson RADM Daniel Hagari said on Monday. "The terrorists first and foremost took care of themselves, at the expense of the patients and civilians there. The Hamas terrorist organization continues to systematically operate from hospitals and civilian infrastructure and exploits civilians and patients as human shields. We will not allow this and will strike and continue to strike wherever Hamas tries to regain its control,” Hagari said.