Israeli army announces death of colonel in northern Gaza

Shafaq News/ The Israeli army announced, on Sunday, the death of a high-ranking officer and the severe injury of another during military operations in the northern Gaza Strip.

According to Haaretz, the officer was Colonel Ihsan Deksa, the commander of the Israeli army’s 401st Brigade.

"Deksa hailed from Daliyat al-Karmel, a predominantly Druze town in northern Israel. He was enlisted in the Israeli army’s armored corps in 2001."

He was killed on Sunday when a tank he was in ran over an explosive device in northern Gaza. Another officer was critically injured in the incident.

"During the 2006 war between Israel and Hezbollah, Deksa led an independent armored unit operating under the Israeli army’s Paratroopers Brigade," according to Haaretz.

Earlier on Sunday, the Israeli army announced that more than 5,000 residents had fled from the Jabalia area in northern Gaza. Meanwhile, Palestinian journalists reported a "siege" of families, with Israeli forces allegedly placing "barrel bombs" in residential neighborhoods.

Israeli army spokesperson Avichay Adraee stated, "The movement of Palestinian residents from the Jabalia area continues, with over 5,000 having evacuated so far. Safe passage is being facilitated through designated routes."

Notably, since the Israeli war on Gaza began on Oct. 7, 2023, 43,362 Palestinians have been killed, the majourity of whom are children, women, and elderly.