The Israel Defense Forces have confirmed the deaths of eight soldiers during intense fighting in southern Lebanon today.

Among the fallen are:

– Cpt. Harel Etinger, 23, a commander in the Egoz Commando Unit from Eli. Tragically, in 2019, YWN reported that his father, Rabbi Achiad Ettinger HY”D was one of two victims killed by a Palestinian terrorist at the Ariel Junction. He leaves behind a mother and 11 siblings.
– Cpt. Eitan Itzhak Oster, 22, a team commander in the Egoz Commando Unit, from Modi’in.
– Cpt. Itai Ariel Giat, 23, from the Yahalom Combat Engineering Unit, based in Shoham.
– Sgt. First Class Noam Barzilay, 22, of the Egoz Commando Unit, from Kohav Yair.
– Sgt. First Class Or Mantzur, 21, an Egoz Commando from Beit Aryeh.
– Sgt. First Class Nazar Itkin, 21, also with the Egoz Commando Unit, from Kiryat Atta.
– Staff Sgt. Almken Terefe, 21, of the Golani Brigade’s reconnaissance unit, from Jerusalem.
– Staff Sgt. Ido Broyer, 21, from Nes Tziona, also serving in Golani’s reconnaissance unit.

Six of the Egoz commandos were killed during a fierce firefight with Hezbollah terrorist in a southern Lebanese village. Another officer and four soldiers were critically injured in the same clash.

The two Golani reconnaissance soldiers died in a separate encounter, where another soldier was gravely wounded. In a third incident, a combat medic from Golani’s 51st Battalion also sustained serious injuries.

(YWN World Headquarters – NYC)