Serious Incident During IDF Operation in Northern Gaza: Three armored corps soldiers from the 52nd Battalion of the 401st Brigade were killed Monday afternoon in Jabaliya when an anti-tank missile struck their tank. The fallen soldiers were Staff Sgt. Shoham Menahem, 21, from Moshav Yardena; Sgt. Shlomo Yakir Shrem, 20, from Efrat; and Sgt. Yuliy Faktor, 19, from Rishon Lezion.
An armored corps officer was seriously wounded in the same incident and evacuated to a hospital for treatment.
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Staff Sgt. Shoham Menahem, 21, from Moshav Yardena; Sgt. Shlomo Yakir Shrem, 20, from Efrat; and Sgt. Yuliy Faktor, 19, from Rishon Lezion
( Photo: IDF)
The soldiers were killed by an explosion inside the tank. A preliminary assessment indicates the explosion was caused by an anti-tank missile strike, though the IDF is also investigating other possible causes.
The Efrat Local Council mourned the loss of Shrem. “Our hearts are with his family in this difficult time. We send condolences to his parents, Shaul and Hindi, his sister, and his two brothers,” the council said in a statement. Shlomo will be buried Tuesday at 10 a.m. at the Kfar Etzion military cemetery.
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Since the end of the last ceasefire, 44 soldiers have been killed in Gaza. Since the beginning of the war, 893 soldiers have fallen, including 451 during the ground maneuver in the Strip.
The number of fallen soldiers has sharply increased in recent months. No soldiers were killed in March; three were killed in April, eight in May, 21 in June, and so far 13 have been killed in July.