IDF soldiers killed in Gaza on January 11, 2025: Staff Sgt. Danila Diakov, Sgt. Eliav Astuker, Sgt. Maj. (res.) Alexander Fedorenko, Sgt. Yahav Maayan. (Courtesy)
Israel Defense Forces (IDF) on Saturday night announced that four soldiers were killed during the fighting against Hamas in northern Gaza.
The fallen soldiers were listed as: Sgt. Maj. (res.) Alexander Fedorenko, 37, from Bat Yam; Staff Sgt. Danila Diakov, 21, from Maale Adumim; Sgt. Yahav Maayan, 19, from Modiin; and Sgt. Eliav Astuker, 19, from Ashdod.
According to an initial investigation reported on Army Radio, the convoy carrying the soldiers in Beit Hanoun was ambushed. Hamas terrorists detonated an improvised explosive device (IED), which was followed by gunfire from the terrorists.
At least six other soldiers were wounded in the incident, with two listed in serious condition.
The IDF recently intensified its operations against Hamas in Gaza City neighborhoods in the northern Gaza Strip. After previously targeting the neighborhoods of Jabaliya and Beit Lahiya, the military is now focusing its efforts on Beit Hanoun.
Hamas has rebuilt some of its forces in the area around Gaza City after the IDF withdrew from the area to focus on Khan Younis and Rafah in the southern Strip.
The fighting in the northern suburbs of Gaza City has led to the deaths of 48 IDF soldiers since the military renewed its focus on the area in October.
Last Wednesday, three tank operators were also killed in an IED attack near Beit Hanoun. The IDF admitted that Hamas has been increasingly using IEDs as a significant part of its strategy of combat in the neighborhood.
Following the announcement of the soldiers’ deaths, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu posted a message on 𝕏 praising the heroism and courage of the soldiers.
“Along with all citizens of Israel, I grieve the loss of the four IDF soldiers – Sergeant Major Danila Dyakov, Major (res.) Alexander Fedorenko, Sergeant Yahav Maayan, and Sergeant Eliav Estiokar,” Netanyahu wrote.
“They fell defending the homeland in battles in the northern Gaza Strip, in the war for our existence and security. Their heroism and courage will be etched in our hearts forever. Our hearts go out to their grieving families in these difficult times. We will not forget the heavy price they bear for all of us. May their memory be blessed.”
Defense Minister Israel Katz also posted a message on 𝕏 eulogizing the fallen soldiers.
“A very difficult evening for the State of Israel after we learned of the fall of four of our best sons,” Katz wrote.
On Saturday, the Israeli Air Force (IAF) carried out an airstrike on a Hamas terror cell operating in what the IDF referred to as a “command-and-control center” in the Khalwa school in Jabaliya. The operation was conducted based on intelligence received from the IDF and the Shin Bet (Israeli Security Agency).
While Palestinian media claimed the strike targeted a building used to shelter civilians – killing eight people, including two children – the IDF said that “numerous steps were taken to mitigate the risk of harming civilians, including the use of aerial surveillance, additional intelligence, and precise munitions” ahead of the strike.
