Since the end of the last ceasefire and hostage exchange deal, 44 IDF soldiers have died, 37 of them since Israel launched the latest ground offensive in Gaza, over two months ago.
The troops were faced with Hamas terrorists who regrouped, booby trapped many areas using powerful explosives and adopted guerrilla warfare against the soldiers using anti-tank and sniper fire. Many of the fallen were killed without actually encountering the terrorists.
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IDF soldiers killed in Gaza since the last ceasefire ended
(Photo: IDF and courtesy of the families)
IDF casualties were also victims of operational mishaps caused at least in part by fatigue after a long war, outdated vehicles, some operated by civilian contractors and without the necessary protective shields, to replace the military equipment that was damaged by the war and the total destruction of structures that provide Hamas with shelter to hide and stage their attacks.
In the early days of the offensive, a soldier was killed in a friendly fire incident when he entered a building to access a tunnel shaft.
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In June, the IDF lost 20 soldiers in a number of fatal incidents, most of which were not battles with Hamas terrorists.
In July, a soldier was killed when heavy machinery fell onto another machine he was operating, digging to destroy an underground tunnel. In a separate incident this month, a soldier encountered a terror squad that attempted to abduct him and was killed. A video of the incident filmed and posted by Hamas showed the terrorists moving freely in broad daylight between the destroyed structures in Khan Younis.
The IDF probe showed the terrorists using the ruins to launch attacks from close range before escaping into tunnel shafts.
A day later, an officer was killed in an explosion that is being investigated as a possible accident.
Last week, three soldiers were killed when an explosive device detonated in their tank. Originally, the military thought it was the result of anti-tank missile fire, but later began investigating a possible mishap that caused the explosives inside the tank to detonate.
And on Tuesday, another soldier was killed in an explosion in Khan Younis, thought to be another mishap in the treatment of explosives.