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21 Israeli Soldiers Killed as Buildings Collapse in Gaza Blast
Friends and family mourn Israeli military reservist Sergeant First Class Hadar Kapeluk, 23 who was killed in the southern Gaza Strip, amid the ongoing ground operation of the Israeli army against Palestinian Islamist group Hamas, at his funeral at the Mount Herzl military cemetery in Jerusalem, January 23, 2024. REUTERS/Ronen Zvulun
Israelis mourned their deadliest day since troops entered Gaza at the end of October, with 21 soldiers falling in a single disaster on Monday, alongside three officers who perished in separate fighting.
“An unbearably difficult morning, in which more and more names of the best of our sons – the silver tray in the full sense of the word – are added to the hero’s tombstone, in a war that has no justice,” said Israel’s President Isaac Herzog. “The intense battles are taking place in an extremely challenging space, and we are strengthening the soldiers of the IDF and the security forces who are working with endless determination to realize the goals of the fighting. On behalf of the entire nation, I console the families and pray for the healing of the wounded. Even on this sad and difficult morning, we are strong and remember that together we will win,” the president added.
The incident unfolded, according to early IDF assessments, after the soldiers in the southern Gaza Strip were attacked by Hamas terrorists firing RPG missiles, one of which hit a tank and set off mines that the IDF had set up for a controlled demolition of a building. The explosion led to the collapse of two buildings nearby where the 21 soldiers were inside clearing.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said “Yesterday we experienced one of the most difficult days since the outbreak of the war. I wish to strengthen the dear families of our heroic warriors who fell on the battlefield.” He added “The IDF has launched an investigation into the disaster. We must draw the necessary lessons and do everything to preserve the lives of our warriors. In the name of our heroes, for the sake of our lives, we will not stop fighting until the absolute victory.”
Other political figures voiced their sorrow over the event.
War Cabinet Minister Benny Gantz said “This is a difficult morning for all the people of Israel, with the knowledge of the terrible disaster that happened yesterday in the southern Gaza Strip. I would like to strengthen and send my heartfelt condolences to the families of the fallen and wish recovery to the wounded… We are all behind you.”
National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir tweeted a traditional prayer said for the remembrance of the fallen, and is typically recited in Israel on Yom HaZikron, Israel’s memorial day.
Defense Minister Yoav Gallant added “This is a war that will determine the future of Israel for decades to come – the fall of the fighters is a requires us to achieve the goals of the war.”
Yisrael Beytenu head Avigdor Lieberman tweeted “We bow our heads and salute our heroic warriors who sacrificed their lives in defense of the homeland.”
Israelis spoke of the losses as a necessary sacrifice in a war against Hamas fighters who attacked Israeli towns on Oct. 7, killing 1,200 people and capturing some 250 hostages, more than 100 still held in Gaza.
“You know, it’s our sons, it’s our brothers, it’s terrible – but we’ve got to do what we’ve got to do so that Oct. 7 doesn’t happen again,” said Blina Rhodes on the street in Jerusalem. “You have to get rid of Hamas and make Gaza safe for us. Otherwise, we have no place to live.”
The names of the fallen are: Major General (Res.) Itamar Tal, 32 years old, from Kibbutz Masilat, Sergeant major (res.) Adam Bismuth, 35 years old, from Samaria, Major General (Res.) Shay Biton Chayon, 40 years old, from Zichron Ya’akov, Major (res.) Daniel Kassau Zagiya, 38 years old, Mikneam Illit, Sergeant major (res.) Matan Lazar, 32 years old, from Haifa, Major General (Res.) Hadar Kapluck, 23 years old, from Mevo Beitar, Sergeant Major (Res.) Sergey Guntmacher, 37 years old, from Ramat Gan, Major General (Res.) Elkana Yehuda Sepaz, 25 years old, from Kiryat Arba, Maj. (Res.) Yuval Lopes, 27 years old, from Alon Shabot, Major (Ret.) Yoav Levy, 29 years old, from Yehud-Monoson, Major (Ret.) Nicholas Berger, 22 years old, from Jerusalem, Major General (Ret.) Cedric Green, 23 years old, from Tel Aviv-Yafo, Sergeant major (res.) Rafael Elias Moshioff, 33 years old, from Pardes Hana-Karkur, Major General (res.) Barak Haim ben Valid, 33 years old, from Rishon Lezion, Major General (res.) Ahmed Abu Latif, 26 years old, from Mahrat, Captain (res.) Nir Binyamin, 29 years old, from Givatayim, Major (res.) Elkana Wiesel, 35 years old, from Bnei Dekalim, Major (responsible) Israel Sokol, 24 years old, from Samaria, Captain (res.) Ariel Mordechai Wolfstal, 28 years old, from Elazar, Major General (Res.) Sagi Idan, 24 years old, from Rosh Ha’Ain, Major General (Res.) Mark Kononovitch, 35 years old, from Herzliya, Major David Nati Alfasi, 27 years old, from Be’er Sheva, Major Eli Levy, 24 years old, from Tel Aviv, and Captain Eyal Mebaruch Toito, 22 years old, from Beit Gamliel.
Contributed reporting from Reuters
The post 21 Israeli Soldiers Killed as Buildings Collapse in Gaza Blast first appeared on Algemeiner.com.
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After False Dawns, Gazans Hope Trump Will Force End to Two-Year-Old War
Palestinians walk past a residential building destroyed in previous Israeli strikes, after Hamas agreed to release hostages and accept some other terms in a US plan to end the war, in Nuseirat, central Gaza Strip October 4, 2025. Photo: REUTERS/Mahmoud Issa
Exhausted Palestinians in Gaza clung to hopes on Saturday that US President Donald Trump would keep up pressure on Israel to end a two-year-old war that has killed tens of thousands and displaced the entire population of more than two million.
Hamas’ declaration that it was ready to hand over hostages and accept some terms of Trump’s plan to end the conflict while calling for more talks on several key issues was greeted with relief in the enclave, where most homes are now in ruins.
“It’s happy news, it saves those who are still alive,” said 32-year-old Saoud Qarneyta, reacting to Hamas’ response and Trump’s intervention. “This is enough. Houses have been damaged, everything has been damaged, what is left? Nothing.”
GAZAN RESIDENT HOPES ‘WE WILL BE DONE WITH WARS’
Ismail Zayda, 40, a father of three, displaced from a suburb in northern Gaza City where Israel launched a full-scale ground operation last month, said: “We want President Trump to keep pushing for an end to the war, if this chance is lost, it means that Gaza City will be destroyed by Israel and we might not survive.
“Enough, two years of bombardment, death and starvation. Enough,” he told Reuters on a social media chat.
“God willing this will be the last war. We will hopefully be done with the wars,” said 59-year-old Ali Ahmad, speaking in one of the tented camps where most Palestinians now live.
“We urge all sides not to backtrack. Every day of delay costs lives in Gaza, it is not just time wasted, lives get wasted too,” said Tamer Al-Burai, a Gaza City businessman displaced with members of his family in central Gaza Strip.
After two previous ceasefires — one near the start of the war and another earlier this year — lasted only a few weeks, he said; “I am very optimistic this time, maybe Trump’s seeking to be remembered as a man of peace, will bring us real peace this time.”
RESIDENT WORRIES THAT NETANYAHU WILL ‘SABOTAGE’ DEAL
Some voiced hopes of returning to their homes, but the Israeli military issued a fresh warning to Gazans on Saturday to stay out of Gaza City, describing it as a “dangerous combat zone.”
Gazans have faced previous false dawns during the past two years, when Trump and others declared at several points during on-off negotiations between Hamas, Israel and Arab and US mediators that a deal was close, only for war to rage on.
“Will it happen? Can we trust Trump? Maybe we trust Trump, but will Netanyahu abide this time? He has always sabotaged everything and continued the war. I hope he ends it now,” said Aya, 31, who was displaced with her family to Deir Al-Balah in the central Gaza Strip.
She added: “Maybe there is a chance the war ends at October 7, two years after it began.”
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Mass Rally in Rome on Fourth Day of Italy’s Pro-Palestinian Protests
A Pro-Palestinian demonstrator waves a Palestinian flag during a national protest for Gaza in Rome, Italy, October 4, 2025. Photo: REUTERS/Claudia Greco
Large crowds assembled in central Rome on Saturday for the fourth straight day of protests in Italy since Israel intercepted an international flotilla trying to deliver aid to Gaza, and detained its activists.
People holding banners and Palestinian flags, chanting “Free Palestine” and other slogans, filed past the Colosseum, taking part in a march that organizers hoped would attract at least 1 million people.
“I’m here with a lot of other friends because I think it is important for us all to mobilize individually,” Francesco Galtieri, a 65-year-old musician from Rome, said. “If we don’t all mobilize, then nothing will change.”
Since Israel started blocking the flotilla late on Wednesday, protests have sprung up across Europe and in other parts of the world, but in Italy they have been a daily occurrence, in multiple cities.
On Friday, unions called a general strike in support of the flotilla, with demonstrations across the country that attracted more than 2 million, according to organizers. The interior ministry estimated attendance at around 400,000.
Italy’s right-wing government has been critical of the protests, with Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni suggesting that people would skip work for Gaza just as an excuse for a longer weekend break.
On Saturday, Meloni blamed protesters for insulting graffiti that appeared on a statue of the late Pope John Paul II outside Rome’s main train station, where Pro-Palestinian groups have been holding a protest picket.
“They say they are taking to the streets for peace, but then they insult the memory of a man who was a true defender and builder of peace. A shameful act committed by people blinded by ideology,” she said in a statement.
Israel launched its Gaza offensive after Hamas terrorists staged a cross border attack on October 7, 2023, killing some 1,200 people and taking 251 people hostage.
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Hamas Says It Agrees to Release All Israeli Hostages Under Trump Gaza Plan
Smoke rises during an Israeli military operation in Gaza City, as seen from the central Gaza Strip, October 2, 2025. Photo: REUTERS/Dawoud Abu Alkas
Hamas said on Friday it had agreed to release all Israeli hostages, alive or dead, under the terms of US President Donald Trump’s Gaza proposal, and signaled readiness to immediately enter mediated negotiations to discuss the details.