Yoav Roever z”l
Staff Sergeant Yoav Roever z”l, 19 years old from Sde Warburg, a combat soldier in the elite Yahalom unit, fell in battle in southern Gaza. Yoav, the son of Lior and Gili and brother to Tamar and Omri, died in the line of duty. The Southern Sharon Regional Council expressed deep sorrow over the heavy loss and extended condolences to his family, the Sde Warburg community, and the educational staff of the school where he grew up. “Our hearts are broken,” read the council’s statement. “May his memory be blessed.”
Hen Gross z”l
Master Sergeant Chen Gross, 33 years old from Gan Yoshiya, a combat soldier in the Maglan unit of the Commando Brigade, fell in battle in southern Gaza.
Powerful Explosion
As part of a broad operation led by the IDF’s 98th Division in northern Gaza, a Commando Brigade force was conducting a mission this morning to clear terror infrastructure in the dense urban area of Khan Younis. The force, which included soldiers from Maglan and other units, entered a building in western Bani Suheila around 06:10—a densely packed zone known as a Hamas stronghold. The entry was likely aimed at locating weapons and verifying intelligence on underground terror activity. At this stage, the force proceeded on foot, conducting standard room-by-room and floor-by-floor searches.
Shortly after entering, a powerful explosion occurred—caused by a high-intensity charge hidden inside the building. According to assessments, the entire structure was booby-trapped, and the explosion caused it to collapse on the soldiers inside. Four soldiers were killed in the collapse, and five others were injured—one seriously and four moderately. The extraction of the soldiers from the rubble took many hours and was carried out under the threat of additional explosives.
“A Great Commitment to Stand Behind the Brave Generation of Fighters”
President Isaac Herzog eulogized: “With a broken and aching heart, I bow my head and mourn, together with all the people of Israel, the fall of our brave soldiers, our beloved sons, in the Gaza Strip.”
Herzog addressed the heavy toll of the war and said, “This is a time of great sorrow—but also of great commitment: to stand behind the brave generation of fighters, to embrace the families of the fallen, and to ensure that their names and heroism will never be forgotten.”
“We will never forget the sacrifice and heroism of the fallen, the wounded, and the extraordinary bereaved families. May their memory be blessed,” he concluded.
