Israeli army says 5 more soldiers killed, including 4 in Gaza battles

JERUSALEM

The Israeli army announced Saturday the death of four soldiers in fighting in the southern Gaza Strip, with a fifth who died from injuries during a previous Hamas attack on settlements and military sites in the enclave on Oct. 7.

The army said reserve soldiers Lyav Atia, 25, Omri Ben Shushar, 25, both fighters in the 6623 Battalion, were killed in battles.

“Soldier Jonathan Haim, 25, a fighter in the 603 Engineering Battalion, and Soldier Maor Cohen Eisenkot, 19, a fighter in the 12th Brigade of the Golan Division, also lost their lives in battles in the southern Gaza Strip,” it said.

Cohen is the nephew of the former Chief of Staff Gadi Eisenkot, according to the Hebrew newspaper Maariv. Eisenkot's son, Gal, was killed Thursday in a battle in the Jabalia Camp in northern Gaza.

The army also said, “Soldier Chaim Meir Eidan, 20, a fighter in the 13th Brigade of the Golan Division, succumbed to severe injuries sustained on Oct. 7.”

The death toll of the Israeli army since the beginning of the conflict rose to 425, according to army data.

*Writing by Rania Abu Shamala​​​​​​​