Sergeant Major (res.) Alon Farkas fell in battle in northern Gaza Strip

It was cleared for publication this morning (Wednesday) that Master Sergeant (Res.) Alon Farkas, 27, from Kibbutz Kabri, a soldier in the 6646th Reconnaissance Battalion of the 646th Brigade, fell in combat during operations in the northern Gaza Strip.

In the same incident, another reserve soldier from the 6646th Reconnaissance Battalion sustained serious injuries. He was evacuated to a hospital for medical treatment. His family has been notified.

Separately, in the Jabalia area of northern Gaza, a Hamas drone dropped an explosive device on a group of soldiers, moderately wounding two members of the elite Yahalom Unit and lightly injuring a Shin Bet operative.

Yesterday, the IDF announced the deaths of three more soldiers in northern Gaza: Staff Sergeant Lior Steinberg, 20, from Petah Tikva; Staff Sergeant Ofek Barhana, 20, from Yavne; and Staff Sergeant Omer Van Gelder, 22, from Ma’ale Adumim. All three served in the Givati Brigade’s 9th Battalion. Steinberg and Barhana were combat medics, while Van Gelder was a squad commander.

Two additional soldiers were moderately wounded in the same incident.

Since the beginning of the war, 861 IDF soldiers have been killed in action.