Indian-Origin Halel Solomon Among Israeli Soldiers Killed In Gaza War

A 20-year-old Indian-origin Israeli soldier was among the IDF soldiers killed while fighting in Gaza.

Staff Sergeant Halel Solomon hailed from Dimona, a town in Israel's southern region.

“It is with great sorrow and grief that we announce the death of a son of Dimona, Halel Solomon, in the battle in Gaza,” Dimona’s Mayor, Benny Bitton said in a Facebook post on Wednesday, news agency PTI reported.

“We share in the grief of the parents, Ronit and Mordechai, and the sisters: Yasmin, Hila, Vered, and Shaked …. Halel aspired to do a meaningful service and enlisted in the Givati (Brigade). Halel was a devoted son and had respect for his parents always in his eyes. Possessing immense good qualities he believed in endless giving, modesty, and humility. The whole city of Dimona is grieving his passing,” Bitton wrote.

Dimona, a southern Israeli town, is known for housing the nation's nuclear reactor. However, it's also described as "little India" due to the significant population of Indian Jews residing there.

Original: Indian community members told PTI that he was “a young man with pleasant manners and a very bright future ahead.” They expressed huge sorrow at his passing away and at the loss of lives of other young Israelis “fighting a just war for Israel’s existence.”

He was “a young man with pleasant manners and a very bright future ahead", members of the Indian community were quoted as saying in the PTI report.

They expressed deep grief over his demise and the fatalities of other young Israelis engaged in “fighting a just war for Israel’s existence.”

Original: At least 11 Israeli soldiers have been killed in the battle in Gaza in what Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu described as a “difficult war” with “painful losses,” but vowed to continue “until victory.”

At least 11 Israeli soldiers have been killed in the conflict in Gaza in what Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu described as a “difficult war” with “painful losses,” but vowed to continue “until victory.”

“We are in a difficult war. This will be a long war. We have so many important achievements but also painful losses,” Netanyahu said.

“We know that every soldier of ours is an entire world. The entire people of Israel embrace you, the families, from the depth of our hearts. We are all with you during your heavy sorrow. Our soldiers have fallen in the most just of wars, the war for our home,” the Israeli Prime Minister said.

“I promise the citizens of Israel: We will complete the work – we will continue until victory,” he stressed.

At least 1400 Israelis were killed in a deadly terror attacks carried out by Hamas on Israel’s southern communities on 7 October during which they also took hostage around 240 individuals.

Following the terror attacks, Israel, backed by the United States and some other Western nations, declared war against Hamas which has controlled the Gaza Strip since 2007 with two stated goals - dismantling the terror group and rescuing the hostages.

More than 8,000 people have reportedly died in Gaza since Israel launched a counter-offensive by first carrying out widespread air strikes and then slowly launching ground incursions that have been intensifying over the last three days.