Officer Shahar Netanel Bozaglo Killed in Gaza as Operation “Gideon’s Chariots II” Expands

The IDF Spokesperson’s Unit announced Tuesday morning that Major Shahar Netanel Bozaglo, 27, from Migdal HaEmek, was killed Monday in Gaza. Bozaglo, a company commander in the 77th Battalion of the 7th Armored Brigade (“Saar of Golan”), died after an RPG rocket hit his tank in the southern sector of Gaza City.

He is the first fatality in the current ground phase of Operation Gideon’s Chariots II, which began one week ago to capture Gaza City.

RPG attack in southern Gaza City

Major Bozaglo was operating yesterday under the Golani Brigade as part of the 36th Division’s push into Gaza City. Terrorists ambushed the advancing forces and fired an RPG at his tank. He was mortally wounded and later pronounced dead at Soroka Medical Center in Beersheba.

According to the IDF, 911 soldiers have been killed since the outbreak of the war, 465 of them during the ground maneuvers in Gaza.

Expansion of Gaza City operation

The IDF confirmed that additional forces under the 36th Division entered Gaza City in the past 24 hours, aiming to “encircle and destroy Hamas’ Gaza Brigade.” Prior to the ground entry, Israeli forces carried out artillery shelling, airstrikes on Hamas positions, and raids to weaken terrorist defenses.

In its latest update, the IDF said it had struck more than 200 targets in Gaza City, including underground tunnels, command centers, and apartments used for operational purposes. Engineering units have been clearing access routes to enable safer entry for maneuvering forces.

Also on Monday, an officer from the Givati Brigade’s Shaked Battalion was seriously wounded in a close-range firefight with Hamas operatives. According to the IDF, the terrorists were later pursued and eliminated. The officer was evacuated to hospital, and his family was notified.

In a separate incident, a rocket fired from Gaza City toward Nahal Oz was intercepted by the Air Force.

Heavy toll in recent days

Four days ago, four IDF soldiers were killed in Rafah when their Hummer struck a roadside bomb in the Jeninah neighborhood:

• Major Omri-Hai Ben Moshe (26), from Safriya

• Lieutenant Ron Arieli (20), from Hadera

• Lieutenant Eitan Avner Ben Yitzhak (22), from Har Bracha

• Lieutenant Eran Shalem (23), from Ramat Yohanan