First Sergeant Chalchao Shimon Damlash has been Killed by Sniper Fire in Northern Gaza

The IDF Spokesperson’s Unit announced Thursday morning that First Sergeant Chalchao Shimon Damlash, 21, from Beersheba, was killed yesterday (Wednesday) in battle in the northern Gaza Strip. Damlash, a soldier in the Nahal Brigade’s 932nd Battalion, was struck by sniper fire from a terrorist during operations near Gaza City. He is the 912th Israeli soldier to have fallen since the outbreak of the war on October 7.

The incident occurred around 5:00 p.m., when the Nahal Brigade’s combat team was maneuvering on the outskirts of Gaza City. According to the army, a terrorist opened fire with a sniper rifle at the force. Damlash was critically wounded and later pronounced dead.

Recent Losses in Gaza Fighting

Earlier this week, Major Shahar Netanel Buzaglo, 27, a company commander in the 77th Armored Battalion, was killed when an RPG missile struck his tank in the northern Gaza Strip. Buzaglo, who grew up in Migdal HaEmek, was married to his wife Adi, who is pregnant with their first child. Migdal HaEmek Mayor Yaki Ben Haim described him as “a man who gave his all for the country.”

Last week, four IDF soldiers — Major Omri-Hai Ben Moshe (26) from Safria, Lieutenant Ron Reuven Arieli (20) from Hadera, Lieutenant Eitan Avner Ben Yitzhak (22) from Har Bracha, and Lieutenant Eran Shalem (23) from Ramat Yohanan — were killed in Rafah, southern Gaza, when an improvised explosive device (IED) detonated near their Hummers during an engineering operation. Three additional soldiers were injured in that blast, one of them critically.

Rising Toll Since Ceasefire Collapse

Since March 18, when Israel accused Hamas of violating the ceasefire and resumed ground maneuvers, 60 soldiers have been killed in Gaza, including a Border Guard undercover fighter and a Defense Ministry engineering operator.

Overall, since October 7:

• 912 soldiers have been killed

• 466 of them during ground maneuvers in Gaza

• 2,918 soldiers have been injured, including 554 seriously, 871 moderately, and 1,493 lightly

The IDF stated that its forces continue to operate in Gaza City and Rafah to dismantle Hamas’s remaining strongholds, while acknowledging that the fighting has become increasingly costly.