GazaHerald – The Israeli occupation army confirmed that three of its soldiers were killed and an officer was seriously wounded in a Palestinian resistance ambush in the northern Gaza Strip on Monday.
The attack targeted a Merkava tank belonging to the army’s 401st Brigade as it operated in Jabalia, where resistance fighters detonated an explosive device inside the vehicle, setting it ablaze with the crew still inside.
According to the Israeli Broadcasting Authority, the ambush occurred on Monday afternoon. Footage aired by Israeli media showed the tank engulfed in flames, suggesting a powerful detonation that left no chance for the soldiers inside to escape.
Israeli news outlets reported earlier in the day that three soldiers were killed and three others seriously injured in a series of resistance operations carried out almost simultaneously in Khan Yunis, Jabalia, Al-Tuffah, and Al-Shuja’iya. The coordinated attacks underscored the growing capability and resilience of Palestinian fighters more than nine months into Israel’s war on Gaza.
With Monday’s deaths, the number of Israeli soldiers killed since the army resumed its ground invasion of Gaza in March 2025 has risen to 43. Since the war began on October 7, 2023, the total number of military fatalities now stands at 893, according to official Israeli figures. More than 10,000 soldiers have been wounded, while an estimated 20,000 are suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), according to Israel’s Channel 12.
A Military Crisis and a Fractured Government
The heavy toll on Israeli forces has exposed deep fractures within both the military establishment and the political leadership. The Israeli army has increasingly resorted to using elite and commando units for routine infantry operations, an indication of serious manpower shortages on the ground in Gaza.
Political unrest, meanwhile, keeps getting worse. On Monday, the ultra-Orthodox Degel HaTorah party announced its withdrawal from Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s ruling coalition. The move came amid ongoing debates about a proposed law to exempt Haredi (ultra-Orthodox) men from mandatory military service, a controversial measure seen by many Israelis as a cynical political maneuver to preserve Netanyahu’s hold on power.
Channel 12 described the moment as a display of “dual skills”, mourning dead soldiers while negotiating draft exemptions to ensure coalition survival.
Public frustration is intensifying. Many Israelis, including families of hostages and fallen soldiers, have openly criticized Netanyahu, accusing him of prolonging the war for political gain. “This is a difficult evening,” Netanyahu said in a brief comment on the deaths of the three soldiers. But his remarks were immediately countered by opposition figures.
Yair Golan, head of the Democratic Alliance and a former army general, said, “These soldiers are victims of an endless political war. Once again, [Netanyahu] is selling soldiers and letting their blood be shed just to stay in power for another day.”
Psychological Toll: Suicides on the Rise
The psychological cost of the war is also becoming more visible. The Israeli daily Haaretz reported a sharp increase in suicides among soldiers in active service. Since January 2025, at least 15 Israeli soldiers have taken their own lives. In 2024, the figure was 21.
The newspaper cited military sources who said that most of the suicides were among reservists on active duty and that combat exposure had severely affected their mental well-being. Since the war began, at least 44 soldiers have reportedly died by suicide due to trauma linked to battlefield experiences.
Military analysts note that recent resistance operations have had a significant psychological impact on Israeli soldiers, particularly in urban warfare settings where Palestinian fighters have proven elusive, unpredictable, and strategically adaptive. Some soldiers have reportedly refused redeployment to Gaza, leading to internal disciplinary actions and imprisonment.
Despite rising casualties, growing public fatigue, and international scrutiny, Prime Minister Netanyahu, who is wanted by the International Criminal Court for committing war crimes in Gaza, has maintained that the war will continue until what he calls “absolute victory” is achieved.
However, critics argue that such rhetoric is out of touch with military realities and public sentiment.
“There is no clear goal anymore,” one former soldier told Israeli media. “Only more bloodshed.”
