Released for publication: Soldiers Ido Voloch and Neta Yitzhak Kahana killed in Gaza ambush

On April 25, 2025, two Israeli heroes, Sgt. Neta Yitzhak Kahana, 19, from Moshav Eitan, and Capt. Ido Voloch, 21, from Jerusalem, lost their lives in a fierce two-hour battle against terrorists in Gaza City’s Shijaiyah neighborhood.

The clash, part of an operation to expand a buffer zone along Gaza’s border to protect Israeli communities, turned deadly when Hamas fighters ambushed an elite Yamas Border Police unit. Kahana, a dedicated undercover operative, was fatally shot at 4:40 p.m. after returning fire on a terrorist emerging from a tunnel. As evacuation efforts unfolded under relentless gunfire, Voloch, a platoon commander in the 401st Armored Brigade’s 46th Battalion, was killed at 5:39 p.m. when an anti-tank missile struck his tank. The operation, marked by five separate firefights, saw additional soldiers wounded, including a reservist hit by a missile and two others injured in later exchanges.

Commander A., leading the Yamas unit, described the grueling fight: “We were deep in Gaza, eliminating terrorists in ambushes. Kahana was alert, firing back, but a second burst took his life. Heavy fire rained down, yet we evacuated him under attack, fighting until nightfall.” Kahana, who joined the Border Police after stints with the Givati Brigade and submarine corps, was remembered as a vibrant soul, dreaming of a nomadic life in a truck, with a passion for weapons and unshakable camaraderie. “He was fearless,” a friend recalled, sharing memories of ice-water training and coffee by a Jordan Valley spring. Voloch, known for his leadership, leaves behind a grieving Jerusalem community.

The IDF’s push to secure areas like Shijaiyah, close to Kibbutz Nahal Oz, aims to curb Hamas guerrilla attacks. Meanwhile, in Rafah’s Tel al-Sultan, three soldiers were wounded in a roadside bomb ambush, underscoring the intensifying friction with Hamas cells. The Israel Police mourned Kahana in a post announcing his death, vowing to support his family, while the nation honours both fighters’ sacrifice in the ongoing battle for Israel’s safety.