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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 Israels 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 woundedWe 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, Israels 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 Yaakov, 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 HaAin, 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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US Moves Patriot Missile Batteries from South Korea to Middle East

A Patriot missile battery. Photo: IDF.

i24 NewsAmerican Patriot missile defense batteries will be moved from South Korea to the Middle East, according to reports in Asian media on Friday, amid speculation over a potential military action against Iran’s nuclear program and escalating bombardments of Iran-backed jihadists in Yemen.

US President Donald Trump threatened Iran on Sunday with bombing and secondary tariffs if Tehran did not come to an agreement with Washington over its nuclear program, and the United States has moved additional warplanes into the region.

Washington and Seoul have reportedly recently agreed on the “monthslong” partial deployment of the Patriot Advanced Capability-3, in what is understood to be the first known case involving the relocation of United States Forces Korea (USFK) assets to the Middle East.

Iran in recent years has largely dropped the pretense of enriching uranium for a civilian atomic energy program, as it’s reportedly teetering on the nuclear precipice. Israel believes that a nuclear Iran represents a grave existential threat, consistent with the exterminationist antisemitism of the Islamic Republic’s anti-Israel rhetoric.

After the election of Trump, a known Iran hawk, the likelihood of an U.S.-Israeli attack on Iran’s nuclear facilities has increased precipitously.

The post US Moves Patriot Missile Batteries from South Korea to Middle East first appeared on Algemeiner.com.

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Report: Iranian Plot to Assassinate Azerbaijani Rabbi Foiled

The Azerbaijani capital of Baku. Photo: Wikimedia Commons.

i24 NewsIran enlisted the services of a Georgian drug trafficker to carry out an assassination of a prominent Azerbaijani rabbi, the Washington Post reported Saturday, citing security officials.

The plot to murder Rabbi Shneor Segal, foiled by the State Security Service of Azerbaijan in early January, also involved a plan to attack a Jewish education center, the officials said.

The plot was set in motion by an officer with Iran’s Quds Force, who met with Georgian criminal Agil Aslanov, handing him a photo of Segal and detailed instructions on how to murder him, the officials cited by WaPo said. Aslanov’s fee for the foiled hit was $200,000.

The State Security Service said the two men “worked to collect information about a member of a religious community, and sent the location of his residence and workplace to a representative of a foreign special service agency via the appropriate mobile phone application.”

Iran is known to be behind multiple plots against Israeli and Jewish targets, many of which have been foiled by Israeli and foreign security services.

However a recent plot saw three citizens of Uzbekistan murder an Israeli rabbi in the United Arab Emirates on Iranian orders. The three were sentenced to death earlier this week for the murder of Zvi Kogan in November.

The post Report: Iranian Plot to Assassinate Azerbaijani Rabbi Foiled first appeared on Algemeiner.com.

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Netanyahu to Depart for Washington on Sunday Directly from Hungary to Meet with Trump

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu attends a joint press conference with US Secretary of State Marco Rubio at the Prime Minister’s office in Jerusalem, Feb. 16, 2025. Photo: Ohad Zwigenberg/Pool via REUTERS

i24 NewsIsrael’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu will depart to Washington DC on Sunday directly from Hungary—where he is presently on an official visit—to meet with US President Donald Trump, i24NEWS learned on Saturday from an Israeli source.

The visit comes following a phone conversation between the leaders on Friday, and a call with State Secretary Marco Rubio a short while ago.

As a result, the planned visit to Washington of Israel’s Defense Minister Israel Katz will be postponed once again.

Topics of discussion between the two leaders are expected to include the possible military action against Iran’s nuclear facilities, the Gaza war and the future of the war-ravaged Palestinian enclave, the US bombing campaign against Iran-backed Houthi jihadists in Yemen, and the recent imposition of tariffs on Israeli products.

The post Netanyahu to Depart for Washington on Sunday Directly from Hungary to Meet with Trump first appeared on Algemeiner.com.

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