DAY 109 OF GAZA WAR: A Nation Weeps as 24 Soldiers Are Lost in One Day, Fighting in the North, Houthis
Tel Aviv Diary, January 23, 2024
Israelis woke up this morning to another profoundly dark day; one in a series of many over the past three months. However, this day was the bleakest since October 7th. Early this morning, an official announcement confirmed the tragic news: 21 soldiers had perished in a catastrophe in Gaza. The soldiers, all reserve troops, were participating in an operation to demolish houses in Maghazi, located in central Gaza. Positioned 600 meters from the border fence and right near Kibbutz Kissufim, these houses were being razed by the IDF to establish a buffer zone between Gaza and the Israeli kibbutzim.
IDF Forces had placed mines throughout two buildings they intended to demolish. Tragically, a Hamas operative then fired an RPG at one of the buildings in which the soldiers were located and somehow detonated the explosives. This catastrophic event caused both buildings to collapse, trapping and killing 19 soldiers inside.
A tank positioned outside the building was assigned to ensure the safety of the soldiers within. Sadly, before the tank could fire, it was struck by an RPG missile, as well, resulting in the death of two soldiers in the tank. This incident, along with the earlier loss of three paratrooper officers in Khan Younis, brought the total number of soldiers who fell in Gaza yesterday to 24.
The news that a disaster had occurred in Gaza spread widely across social media last night. I already knew something terrible had happened when I sent out last night's update. However, the Army’s policy is not to make any official announcement until all the families of the fallen are notified. It took hours to extract all the bodies and identify the dead so their families could be informed, and only then was an announcement made.
The fallen represent a diverse cross-section of Israel, both geographically and socially. Their backgrounds ranged from a start-up entrepreneur to a West Bank Rabbi; from a rocket engineer who immigrated from Peru to a Bedouin tracker from Rahat. Among those lost were a Filipino who volunteered to join the army, whose mother cleans offices in Tel Aviv, and a resident of Kiryat Arba in Hebron. Over the course of the day, Israelis have become acquainted with the personal story of each of soldiers who fell yesterday.
On a dark, rain-soaked day, as if the skies themselves were weeping, most of those who fell yesterday were laid to rest in their final rest place. Five burials were held at the military cemetery on Mt. Herzl today, joining the over 3,000 soldiers whose graves are located there
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The army is conducting an investigation into the tragedy. Yesterday marked the second time in recent weeks that there has been a mass casualty incident caused by explosives detonating while soldiers were nearby. Key questions are being asked: Why were there so many soldiers in a building fully rigged with explosives? Why did the RPG set off the explosives? Was there adequate protection for the unit? These questions must all be answer quickly to ensure that this type of tragedy does not happen again.
Soldiers who lost their lives in the central Gaza Strip on January 22, 2024:
The deaths from yesterday bring the total number of soldiers lost in this war to 552. Two were killed in the West Bank, eight died in Lebanon, and the rest perished in combat on the Gaza front —of which, 220 have been killed since we began the Gaza ground offensive.
Meanwhile, the Army has completed encircling the city of Khan Younis today. At the same time, commando units moved deeper into the remaining parts of the city, including that portion underground. Another major tunnel complex was unveiled under Khan Younis today. The complex, among other things, was used to produce rockets.
There is cautious optimism regarding the potential success of the Khan Younis campaign and its substantial impact on Hamas.
THE NORTH
Today was a particularly violent day on the Lebanese border, with repeated missile attacks on targets along the border. In addition, Hezbollah fired missiles at the Israeli Air Force radar station on Mt Meron, near Safed. The missile caused minor damage to the base’s infrastructure, which was swiftly repaired in a matter of hours. The Israeli Air Force retaliated by striking a strategic Hezbollah target, partially operated by the Iranian Revolutionary Guard.
FORMER HOSTAGES TESTIFY ABOUT HAMAS SEXUAL VIOLENCE
The first session of the Knesset lobby addressing victims of Hamas sexual violence was held. During the meeting, released hostages shared harrowing accounts of how the younger women hostages were subjected to sexual enslavement by their captors. They cried out in anguish asking — how many more times these women would suffer rape before they are freed?
HOSTAGES
There is much talk about a hostage deal. However, at the moment, it is only talk.
HOUTHIS
After last night’s joint attack by the UK and the US on the Houthis in Yemen, today the Houthis have threatened reprisals both against US forces and, of course, Israel. Reports have emerged tonight of Iranian-backed militias attacking US bases in Iraq.
ITALY
In Italy, significant unrest unfolded due to the inclusion of an Israeli stall at the Vicenzaoro jewelry fair in Vicenza. The situation escalated when police resorted to using water cannons in response to hundreds of demonstrators hurling flares, leading to confrontations that local authorities labeled as an “urban guerrilla war” and a clear display of “intolerance and antisemitism.”
Vicenzaoro, one of the most prominent events in the global jewelry industry, was celebrating its 70th anniversary. The exhibition boasted participation from over 1,300 exhibitors from around 40 different nations, including Israel.