During operations of the 52nd Battalion combat team under the command of the 401st Brigade in Tel e-Sultan in the Gaza Strip, the Commander of the 52nd Battalion, Lt. Col. Daniel Ela, was moderately wounded and taken to the hospital. His family was informed. The officer was wounded in a confrontation with terrorists. Before he was evacuated, Ela took the radio, spoke to his men, and gave them an encouraging message. "Tear them apart," the officer stated. "I'm going to the hospital and coming back." Earlier in the day, the IDF announced that Major Jalaa Ibrahem, aged 25 from the Druze town of Sajur, fell during combat in the southern Gaza Strip. Major Ibrahem was a Company Commander in the 601st Engineering Battalion, 401st Brigade. Jalaa is the 11th member of the Druze community to lose his life in the war. He left behind a mother and 12 siblings, many of whom serve in significant defense positions. Ibrahem is the fourth member of his family to serve in the Engineering Corps.
