The Israeli military announced on Sunday the death of a brigade commander in a blast in northern Gaza, where Israeli forces have been engaged in a sweeping assault targeting Hamas.
Colonel Ahsan Daksa, commander of the 401st Brigade, was killed in the Jabalia area when an explosive struck him as he left his tank, military spokesman Rear Admiral Daniel Hagari said in a briefing.
Defense Minister Yoav Gallant said in a separate statement that Daksa was killed “while fighting Hamas terrorists.”
Hagari said that another battalion commander and two officers were lightly wounded in the incident.
They stepped outside “to observe the area and were struck by an explosive,” he said.
Daksa, 41, was a member of the Druze community and was appointed brigade commander four months ago. He was one of the most senior army commanders killed in the year-long Gaza war.
His brigade “was leading the offensive” in Jabalia, said Hagari.
Israeli forces launched a withering land and air assault in Jabalia and other parts of northern Gaza on October 6, which the military says aims to prevent Hamas militants from regrouping.
The civil defense agency in the Hamas-run territory said that more than 400 people had been killed in the two-week assault, which was still underway on Sunday.
Daksa had been decorated for rescuing wounded soldiers during Israel’s 2006 war against Hezbollah. The two sides are currently again at war in Lebanon.
Israel’s President Isaac Herzog called Daksa “a hero,” saying his death was a “loss to Israel and for Israeli society.”
His death brings Israel’s military fatalities to 358 in the Gaza campaign since the start of the ground offensive in the Palestinian territory on October 27, 2023.