First Female Israeli Soldier Killed in Combat in Gaza

Latest Developments

A female Israeli soldier has been killed in combat in Gaza, the first since the war began 11 months ago, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) announced on September 18. In addition to 20-year-old Staff Sergeant Agam Naim, three male Israeli soldiers — Staff Sgt. Dotan Shimon, Staff Sgt. Amit Bakri, and Capt. Daniel Mimon Toaff — died in combat as well. In a Facebook post prior to Naim’s death, her mother wrote: “I hope that soon my daughter will return home safe in body and mind, that the war will end, and that we’ll return to normal life, God willing. My Agami, I’m so proud of you, my beloved, waiting for you.”

“A very sad morning,” Israeli President Isaac Herzog wrote on social media in response to the news. The losses illustrate that Israel continues to face terror threats in southern Gaza, where the IDF has been fighting Hamas since launching an offensive to take control of the Philadelphi Corridor in May. A total of 713 members of the Israeli security forces have been killed since the Hamas attack on Israel on October 7.

Expert Analysis

“After Hamas’s October 7 massacre and widespread sexual violence against women, the number of women applying to combat roles in the IDF spiked, with unprecedented numbers of young women volunteering for elite combat units. Israelis have high levels of trust in the IDF. The willingness of young Israeli women to risk their lives for their country demonstrates a cohesiveness and unity that have only been strengthened by the events of the past year.” — Enia Krivine, Senior Director of FDD’s Israel Program and National Security Network

“The death of the first female soldier in combat operations is a loss for the Israeli military. Yet her sacrifice underscores the IDF’s identity as a people’s army — a force capable of uniting against those who seek to threaten the existence of the Jewish state.” — Joe Truzman, Senior Research Analyst at FDD’s Long War Journal

“Hamas continues to shift its command centers to schools in Gaza. This has been an ongoing trend of the terrorist group throughout its war with Israel. Hamas hides in schools in order to endanger the civilians who are now often using them for shelter amid the ongoing war. It is important that the international community investigate and condemn Hamas for its illegal use of civilian institutions to hide its terrorist activity in Gaza.” — Seth J. Frantzman, FDD Adjunct Fellow

IDF Strikes Hamas Terrorists Hiding in Former School

Israel carried out a precision strike targeting Hamas terrorists hiding in a former school in Gaza, where they were planning attacks, the IDF said on September 18. “This is a further example of the Hamas terrorist organization’s systematic abuse of civilian infrastructure in violation of international law,” the IDF said in a statement. Hamas members have increasingly used schools as command centers, and the IDF has carried out a number of airstrikes against Hamas members who have exploited schools for cover. On September 11, the IDF released the names of nine terrorists eliminated in a strike on a shuttered school in central Gaza.

Related Analysis

“Hamas Chief Sinwar Pens Letter of Gratitude to Hezbollah Leader Nasrallah,” FDD Flash Brief

“IDF Names Hamas Terrorists Killed in Strike on Gaza School,” FDD Flash Brief

“Hamas, Houthis Open Offices in Iraq,” FDD Flash Brief