The Deputy Chief of the General Staff Meets With Soldiers From Hostage Rescue Mission

The Deputy Chief of the General Staff, MG Amir Baram, joined the activities of the troops of the 98th Division in the Gaza Strip with the Commanding Officer of the 98th Division, BG Guy Levy, and the Commanding Officer of the Paratroopers Brigade, COL Ami Bitton. During the visit, the Deputy Chief of the General Staff met with the commanders and soldiers of the Paratroopers Brigade, the Yahalom Unit, the 7th Brigade and the ISA that participated in the operation to rescue the bodies of the hostages in the Khan Yunis area, in southern Gaza.

The Deputy Chief of the General Staff commented on the IDF's activity in all arenas, praised the soldiers and commanders for the activity of researching, operating and rescuing the bodies of the hostages and toured the building where Lieutenant Shahar Ben Nun z”l fell in action.

From the remarks of the Deputy Chief of the General Staff, MG Amir Baram to the soldiers:

"My great appreciation to everyone involved in this operation. This is a complex, multi-organizational effort, combining different units that, together—driven by a sense of urgency in the war and with each unit bringing its relative advantage—produce extraordinary operational results.

The death of Lieutenant Shahar Ben Nun z”l and the injury of several soldiers due to an explosion of a bomb of ours, during the troops’ operation, was likely caused by a technical failure. We will investigate the operational accident, learn from it to prevent similar incidents in the future and present the findings to all forces in order to continue the unprecedented mutual support between the ground forces and the IAF.

I send my condolences here, from the place where Shahar was injured, with deep sorrow, but I tell you, the commanders of the reconnaissance battalion, that we will continue to fight together, IAF pilots and ground force commanders tirelessly. We will continue to operate in all areas of the Gaza Strip, above and below ground, in order to defeat Hamas and bring back our hostages."

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