The IDF on Friday identified two soldiers killed in separate clashes in southern Gaza, bringing the number of troops killed since the start of the war to 856, including 414 since the launch of the ground operation in the coastal enclave.
The army said Sgt. Yishai Elyakim Urbach, 20, from the northern town of Zikhron Yaakov, was killed Thursday afternoon in Rafah when a building collapsed on soldiers inside, apparently following a rocket-propelled grenade strike. Urbach served in the 605th Combat Engineering Battalion of the 188th Division. Two other soldiers from the same unit were seriously and moderately wounded in the incident.
A few hours later, Staff Sgt. Yam Frid, 21, from the West Bank settlement of Sal’it, was killed when a Namer armored personnel carrier exploded, likely the result of an anti-tank missile or explosive device. Frid was a combat soldier in the Golani reconnaissance unit. The explosion also seriously injured a Golani officer, another officer and a 605th Battalion combat engineer. A reservist in the Golani unit was moderately wounded.
Since the resumption of fighting in Gaza—following Israel’s rejection of a proposed second phase of a hostage deal—nine Israeli soldiers have been killed, six of them in May.
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Urbach married his wife Yuval in March. He is survived by her, his parents Noam and Efrat, and four siblings. His funeral was scheduled for Friday at 1 p.m. in the military section of the Zikhron Yaakov cemetery. “The skies above the town are truly gloomy,” said Zikhron Yaakov Mayor Eli Abutbul. “Yishai was a wonderful young man from a remarkable family, full of values and love for the land. A beautiful world has been cut short.”
Frid is survived by his parents, Keren and Itzik, and his brothers Yahli and Dean. Samaria Regional Council head Yossi Dagan called him “a hero who fought so we could live here in safety.”