IDF reservist succumbs to wounds sustained last week in roadside explosion in Gaza

A reservist combat engineer seriously wounded by a roadside bomb in the southern Gaza Strip last week succumbed to his wounds on Saturday, the Israel Defense Forces announced Saturday evening.

The slain soldier was named as Sgt. Maj. (res.) Betzalel Yehoshua Mosbacher, 32, of the 749th Combat Engineering Battalion, who grew up in Avnei Eitan in the Golan Heights, and was living in Or Yehuda.

Mosbacher and another combat engineer driving in a Humvee in Khan Younis were seriously wounded in the roadside bomb attack on July 19.

Both were taken to a hospital, where Mosbacher died.

According to Hebrew media, Mosbacher worked for the Electricity Authority and is survived by his wife, two-year-old daughter, parents and siblings.

So far in July, 16 IDF soldiers have been killed in Gaza.

Fighting in the coastal enclave continues as talks for a hostage-ceasefire deal have appeared to reach an impasse.

Israel’s toll in the ground offensive against Hamas in Gaza and in military operations along the border with the Strip stands at 457. The toll includes two police officers and three Defense Ministry civilian contractors.

The IDF’s toll on all fronts since the war broke out, including battles against Hamas terrorists on October 7, 2023, stands at 896.