Two Israeli Soldiers Killed in Southern Lebanon Amid Ongoing Conflict

Captain Shahar Gamla, 23, a deputy squad commander in the IDF’s elite Egoz unit, was severely wounded on Thursday by a Hezbollah‑launched explosive drone and died on Saturday from his injuries. Sergeant Ohad Yaari, 21, a member of the Givati Brigade’s Shaked Battalion, was killed on Friday in southern Lebanon after an accidental discharge of a fellow soldier’s firearm, according to an IDF investigation.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu expressed “heavy sorrow” over the deaths, describing the soldiers as “among our finest sons.” The incident brings the total Israeli military death toll since the war that began after the Oct. 7, 2023 attacks to 955, with 29 soldiers lost in the current Lebanon campaign. The killings occur despite a fragile cease‑fire announced in April, which both Israel and Hezbollah have repeatedly violated.

The IDF confirmed that investigations into Yaari’s death are ongoing, while the military continues airstrikes against Hezbollah infrastructure in southern Lebanon.