Sgt. Asaf Zamir was killed in combat in Khan Yunis in southern Gaza when a terrorist fired an anti-tank missile at the tank he was in, the IDF and Army Radio announced on Friday.
Sgt. Zamir, 19, from Dimona, served in the 53rd Armored Corps Battalion in the 188th Brigade under the 36th Division.
In the incident in which he was killed, two soldiers in the 53rd Armored Corps Battalion, 188th Battalion, were severely wounded, and another was moderately wounded.
During the operation to remove the wounded from the tank, an explosion occurred in a second tank, likely due to an anti-tank missile or an additional explosive that was triggered at the site, Army Radio said.
The company commander, who was in the second tank, was lightly wounded by shrapnel and was evacuated to the hospital, along with the others who were wounded.
The military is still investigating the incident. According to initial findings, the terrorist came from an alley towards the tank. The tank personnel saw the terrorist behind them just before the explosion occurred and did not have time to act against the terrorist, according to Army Radio.
IDF announces death of Sgt. Eliyahou in northern Gaza
On Friday morning, the IDF announced the death of Sgt. Yair Eliyahou, 19, who was killed during operational activity in northern Gaza. Sgt. Eliyahou was from Ezer and served as a combat engineer.
He was killed when the vehicle he was in overturned during an operation to demolish buildings in a combat zone.
During the incident, a heavy machinery operator, for unknown reasons, struck another vehicle that Sgt. Eliyahou was operating, which was positioned nearby. As a result, the vehicle overturned, and it is currently not possible to determine whether a sharp maneuver, limited visibility, or a change in the terrain caused the incident.
According to the IDF's tally, the deaths of Sgt. Zamir and Sgt. Eliyahou raised the total number of soldiers killed on or since October 7, 2023, to 883.
Some 438 of this number were killed since the start of the military's ground operations in the Strip on October 27, 2023.