Israeli Bedouin soldier killed in Gaza is 1st combat death since end of ceasefire

An Israeli Bedouin soldier was killed over the weekend, as the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) continue operations in the Gaza Strip aimed at dismantling Hamas infrastructure and capabilities. 

The IDF announced on Saturday evening that Command Sergeant Major G'haleb Sliman Alnasasra (35), a Bedouin tracker from the southern city of Rahat, was killed by an explosive device activated during combat in the northern Gaza Strip. 

Alnasasra served in the regular army as a scout in the Northern Brigade after extending his regular service. According to his uncle, Dudu, G’haleb wanted to serve in the Northern Brigade, where his father had also served as a tracker. 

“We are a family of scouts, many of us work as members of the security forces. Alnasasra was a smiling man, who always did good and helped everyone," Dudu told Channel 12 News. 

The initial IDF investigation indicated that forces of the Northern Brigade, operating under the 252nd Division, identified a tunnel leading from Beit Hanoun to an area near the border fence. During the night, Combat Engineering Corps soldiers inspected and investigated the tunnel and prepared it for demolition. The soldiers’ activities were noticed by Hamas fighters, who decided to attack the force as it was busy with the preparations for destroying the tunnel. 

As the soldiers were working, Hamas terrorists came out of a tunnel shaft that had not been discovered and fired an RPG at a jeep containing several female reconnaissance soldiers. An officer and a combat medic were seriously wounded in that attack, while a third soldier was moderately wounded. Several minutes later, a rescue force was dispatched to evacuate the injured soldiers. 

The force was traveling on a known IDF route that was supposed to be clear of IEDs. As the force approached the scene, an explosive device was activated by Hamas terrorists. As a result of the explosive device, Alnasasra was killed, and another tracker was seriously injured and evacuated to a hospital. 

Alnasasra is the first soldier to fall in the fighting in Gaza since the renewal of IDF operations in March and the expansion of ground operations, dubbed "Operation Strength and Sword" by the IDF. 

Col. (res.) Pini Ganon, former commander of the scouting unit and head of the Bedouin unit in the Ministry of Defense, spoke to 103FM radio about the incident

“This is a family of three generations of heroic warriors. I was privileged to know his grandfather. I was his commander. I served as deputy commander of the Sinai Brigade, and he also fought in the Yom Kippur War. Later, the grandfather also recruited Suleiman, the father. I was his commander when I was deputy commander of the Northern Brigade in Gaza, and I was commander of the scout unit.” 

Ganon said that Alnasasra's father died of an illness several years ago, and G’haleb insisted on enlisting in the unit where his father served. 

The Association of Bedouin Soldiers and Officers eulogized Alnasasra and pledged a continued “covenant between the Bedouin community and the people of Israel.” 

“We feel a deep need to share with you our sorrow for the fallen and the many injuries among IDF fighters. Our hearts go out to the bereaved families, and we mourn with them,” the group stated.

“The Bedouin community in Israel salutes the Chief of General Staff and the Commander of the Southern Command, and wishes the IDF great success in its missions until victory is achieved. The covenant, the path, and the blood between the Bedouin community and the people of Israel will continue to live, strengthen, and endure for generations to come. We are proud of these ties and believe that through cooperation we will be able to face the challenges that face us.” 

Several of Alnasasra’s friends told Hebrew media channels, “God takes only the good ones, our friend for years, there is not and will not be a person who can be as special as him. He was always smiling. It is difficult to speak in the past tense. It's a very difficult day for us and for everyone.” 

After the announcement of his death, Defense Minister Israel Katz wrote, “I would like to convey from the bottom of my heart my condolences to the family of the late Sgt. G’haleb, a tracker in the Northern Brigade, who fell today in the northern Gaza Strip. I wish a full recovery to all our fighters who were wounded during the operation and strengthen the hands of the IDF soldiers who are fighting valiantly for the release of the hostages and the defeat of Hamas. The IDF will exact a heavy price and increase the pressure in Gaza with all its might until all the goals of the war are achieved.” 

The last combat deaths in Gaza occurred just before the start of the hostage-ceasefire agreement, when five Nahal Brigade soldiers were killed in an explosion that caused the building they were in to collapse. Among the fighters killed was Messianic Jewish soldier Staff Sgt. Aviel Wiseman.