The IDF announced early Wednesday that Staff Sergeant Danilo Mocanu, 20, from Holon, lost his life while engaged in fighting in southern Gaza.
Mocanu was a member of the 51st Company within the 82nd Battalion of the IDF’s 7th Brigade.
Since the beginning of the current war, the total number of Israeli soldiers who have been killed now stands at 858.
The fatal incident that claimed Mocanu’s life also left another soldier with minor injuries. That soldier was transported to a hospital and is receiving treatment. The injured soldier’s family has been informed.
Mocanu and his comrade were operating inside a structure that collapsed after being hit by an explosive charge that detonated during their mission.
Earlier in the week, the IDF reported the death of Sergeant Yosef Yehuda Chirak, 22, from Harasha in Binyamin. He died during an operation in the northern section of Gaza.
Chirak was a member of the 601st Combat Engineering Battalion under the 401st “Iron Trails” Brigade.
That same incident resulted in light injuries to two additional soldiers who were also part of the mission.
On Tuesday, the IDF released a preliminary account of what led to Chirak’s death during the combat operation.
According to the military, the unit was in northern Gaza working to dismantle terrorist installations located both above ground and beneath the surface. During the operation, a tunnel shaft was identified by one team and was being inspected.
While Chirak was positioned near that location, another IDF company was conducting a security sweep in the vicinity. Based on the initial review, it was determined that Yosef was accidentally struck by fire from the nearby friendly force.
{Matzav.com Israel}