The mother of Sergeant First Class (res.) Benyamin Asulin, who was killed in action today (Tuesday) in Beit Hanoun, shared that she asked him to come home after serving in the reserves for eight months.
Benyamin responded, "Mom, don't worry, I'm going to save the homeland. If I die, I'll die a hero."
Benyamin's uncle, Yossi, spoke about his nephew: "He did reserve duty while pursuing a degree. He was hardly home since the war broke out." Yossi shared that every time they spoke, Binyamin told him, "You can sleep well, don't worry, I'm there, protecting you, uncle."
Asulin, a soldier in the Northern Gaza Brigade, Gaza Division, was killed in action along with four other soldiers during an IED ambush. The soldiers are: Staff Sergeant Meir Shimon Amar, aged 20, from Jerusalem, Sergeant Moshe Nissim Frech, aged 20, from Jerusalem, Staff Sergeant Noam Aharon Musgadian, aged 20, from Jerusalem, and Staff Sergeant Moshe Shmuel Noll, aged 21, from Beit Shemesh.
The total number of fallen IDF soldiers since the beginning of the war now stands at 888. 446 were killed in the ground offensive in Gaza, 39 of them since the end of the last ceasefire deal.
Rabbi Adir Almushnino, accompanying Rabbi of the Netzach Yehuda Battalion, told Kan Reshet Bet about Moshe Shmuel Noll: "A very special guy, smiling. He was supposed to finish his service in four months. He was the pillar of the family."
The IDF estimates that Hamas learned the movements of the Israeli soldiers operating in that region and set up an ambush. IDF soldiers have warned that Hamas is growing bolder, employing more offensive actions, ambushes, and protracted firefights, as well as filming from multiple angles for propaganda purposes. The use of IEDs continues to be one of the deadliest challenges facing Israeli soldiers, accounting for nearly 70% of the casualties.