Master Sgt (res.) Gal Meir Eisenkot, the son of Israeli Minister Gadi Eisenkot, and Sgt Major (res.) Jonathan David Deitch of the 55 Brigade’s 6623 Reconnaissance Battalion have been killed in the Gaza Strip, the Times of Israel reported quoting the Israel Defence Forces (IDF).
The IDF informed that Eisenkot (25), of the 551 Brigade’s 699 Battalion from Herzliya, was killed in northern Gaza.
It added that three other troopers were seriously injured and shifted to hospitals for treatment. The IDF said Deitch was killed during a gunbattle in the southern Strip, according to The Times of Israel.
His father, Gadi Eisenkot, is a former IDF chief of staff and is currently serving as a minister in the emergency government on behalf of Benny Gantz’s National Unity party. He is also an observer on the high-level war cabinet, which is leading the decision-making amid the ongoing war with Hamas, the daily added.
Gal Meir Eisenkot was killed after a bomb exploded in a tunnel shaft near soldiers in the Jabalia camp in northern Gaza. He was taken to a hospital in Israel, where he succumbed to his injuries.
Eisenkot received the news about his son’s death while touring the IDF’s Southern Command along with Benny Gantz on Thursday, the Times of Israel stated in its report.
A total of 89 Israeli soldiers have been killed since the start of the ground offensive in Gaza.
The IDF announced the deaths of Eisenkot and Deitch amid heavy fighting in Gaza, as Israeli troops advanced into major Hamas strongholds in the northern and southern parts of the coastal enclave, The Times of Israel reported.
Israeli lawmakers extended their condolences to Eisenkot over his son’s death.
In a statement, Benny Gantz said, “Our hearts are broken. On the eve of Hanukkah, Gal’s candle was extinguished”, referring to the Jewish holiday of lights that begins Thursday evening.
