A soldier in the Golani Brigade has died of the wounds he suffered in battle Sunday morning during the entry of ground troops into Gaza. The soldier was mortally wounded when a mortar shell landed near his unit near the northern Gaza town of Jebaliya. He is the second to have fallen in Operation Cast Lead.
The fallen soldier has been identified as 22-year-old First Sergeant Dvir Emanueloff of Givat Ze'ev, northwest of Jerusalem. His funeral has been scheduled for 11:00 pm Sunday evening in the military cemetery at Mt. Herzl in Jerusalem.
Ground forces encountered fierce resistance from Hamas guerrilla fighters who were waiting in fortified installations for the elite Golani and Givati troops as they crossed the border into the region. A total of 30 Israeli soldiers were wounded in the heavy fighting that ensued overnight.
Two soldiers were critically wounded, including the soldier who succumbed to his wounds late Sunday afternoon, and an IDF officer. Both were airlifted to Soroka Medical Center in Be'er Sheva and their families were immediately notified. The officer's condition improved, but his wounds were still described as serious, early Sunday evening. Of the 28 other soldiers who were also injured, most suffered moderate to mild wounds.
In addition, three IDF soldiers were lightly wounded in clashes with Hamas fighters on Sunday afternoon, bringing the total number of wounded soldiers to 33.
Dozens of armed Hamas terrorists were killed by IDF soldiers in the fighting. The IAF also attacked more than 15 sites, including rocket launching sites and squads, armed gunmen and a smugglers' tunnel.
Fighter pilots also targeted three senior Hamas terrorists, including Husam Hamdan, who was responsible for the rocket attacks on Be'er Sheva and Ofakim, and two other senior rocket-launching commanders.