The IDF announced Wednesday the death of a soldier in the Gaza Strip. He was named as Sgt. First Class Tal Lahat, 21, of the Maglan commando unit, from Kfar Saba.

A member of the elite Maglan special forces unit, Lahat fell during operations in a strategic area known as the Netzarim Corridor. His funeral is set for 5:00 p.m. Wednesday at the military cemetery in Kfar Saba.

Lahat's death brings the toll of the IDF ground operation against the Hamas terror organization in Gaza to 327.

Meanwhile, Egyptian officials are preparing to present a comprehensive plan for the Gaza-Egypt border corridor in the coming days, as talks over the Rafah crossing continue.  The Lebanese Al-Akhbar newspaper reported Wednesday that sources close to the negotiations revealed the Israeli delegation in Cairo acknowledged limitations in their authority to make decisions on several Rafah crossing-related matters without consulting higher political authorities.

The report said that Israel had previously received a detailed Egyptian proposal concerning the Rafah crossing and its management structure. It also noted Egypt's opposition to all suggestions allowing Palestinian movement through the Kerem Shalom crossing on the Israeli side.

According to Al-Akhbar, Egypt expressed to Israeli and American officials its willingness to cooperate on border control between Gaza and Sinai. However, Cairo stipulated that this should occur within a broader framework than a bilateral partnership with Israel, insisting on the involvement of a third party in the supervision process.

In light of these developments, high-ranking Egyptian officials promised to present a clear and detailed outline of their vision for the border corridor in the coming days. The sources added that the Israeli delegation mentioned military objectives in the area that have yet to be achieved, stating that the ongoing negotiations do not necessitate halting efforts to reach these goals.

Conversely, Cairo voiced concerns that this stance aligns with a potential escalation in Gaza, "which could unfold in the coming days and jeopardize the negotiations, as Hamas cautioned mediators two days ago."

The report noted that mediators are awaiting Israel's responses on two key issues: the Rafah crossing and guaranteeing the continuation of the ceasefire during negotiations between stages of the agreement. In this context, it was reported that Hamas demands Israel "refrain from any type of military operations – including targeted strikes – during the negotiations" between stages.

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Chilling footage circulating on social media Sunday showed soldiers Itay Amir and Liri Albag dancing joyfully together, unaware of the tragic fate that awaited them – he would lose his life in combat in the Gaza Strip, while she would be taken hostage by Hamas terrorists.

Video: Albag and Amir dancing at a volunteering event for senior citizens / Credit: Free usage under Israeli copyright law (Section 27A)

Albag was one of five female field observers abducted from the Nahal Oz military base on Oct. 7. A video taken by Hamas of their abduction was released by the Hostages and Missing Families Forum in May. All five are still held hostage by Hamas in Gaza.

Amir was one of eight soldiers killed in an explosion of an armored personnel carrier early Saturday morning in the western Rafah area.

The video, posted on Facebook, showed Amir and Albag, who were classmates, during a volunteering event at a senior citizens' club in Beersheba.

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Two soldiers were killed Thursday fighting Hamas terrorists in the Gaza Strip, the IDF has announced.

They were named as Maj. Gen. (Res.) Adar Gavriel, 24, from Caesaria, and Sgt. Yonatan Elias, 20, from Jerusalem.

Their deaths bring the death toll of the IDF ground campaign in Gaza to 294.

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Salman Habaka was in 7th grade when he came home from school one day crying because he got a 99 on his Hebrew exam instead of a perfect grade as he was used to. "That's it, I don't have a dad anymore because he unfairly took off a point on my test," he told his mother.

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"He was competitive, especially with two other girls in the class, who would often check his tests to make sure his father didn't miss a mistake," Habaka's mother, Mohaveb, said, and, for a moment, one could see how the laughter settle in her beautiful eyes.

Video: Habaka describing the Oct. 7 attack in Be'eri before being killed in Gaza/ Credit: IDF Spokesperson's Unit

This laughter that settled strongly in the eyes of her Salman, the eldest of four sons and two daughters, born to her and Imad, who, until a year ago, worked as a Hebrew teacher and insisted on teaching his children. He swore he did not increase or decrease their grades, but treated them the same way he treated all his students. Imad simply wanted to make sure his children got the best education possible. 

The green of the view and the green of the flag of the Maccabi Haifa that flies on the balcony of the house in the northern Druze village of Yanuh-Jat, so that everyone knew that there lived an ardent fan of the soccer team. One can also see Lebanon from here, Rosh HaNikra, and the shore of Nahariya. Acre, where Salman studied at a naval officers school, is hidden behind the hills. 

The family's living room is full of items brought by those who came to offer comfort after Salman was killed in battle: photographs, paintings, and candles with the portrait of the revered commander, who, at the age of 31, was promoted to the rank of lieutenant colonel, commander of the 188th Armored Brigade's 53rd Battalion, 33 years old at the eritime of his death, who from a young age showed extraordinary abilities. 

Here and there one can also see childhood photos of Salman, as well as with his siblings and at family occasions. In one photo, Salman is seen with his wife, Arin, whom he married four years earlier, holding Imad, his 2-year-old son whom they named after the grandfather, as is the Druze tradition. When little Imad was born, Salman was doing his master's degree in Oriental studies and would come home almost every evening. Later came the promotion and he would only come home once every two weeks. Then came the war and Salman would never return. 

In the media and at the funeral the memory of Salman was wrapped in words of praise and heroism.

"How our heroes have fallen," MK Gideon Sa'ar, a representative of the government at the funeral, said. "I came to pay my respects to one of the great heroes of the Israel Defense Forces, of the State of Israel - a brave military commander who thinks differently and outside the box. Many Israeli citizens owe their lives to Salman Habaka. Even in the battle in which he fell, Salman showed bravery. He fell in a complex battle against dozens of terrorists. In the battle in which he fell, he again showed personal bravery.

"Our enemy has joined forces against us. But Israel will also emerge from this campaign with the upper hand, thanks to our soldiers and commanders, thanks to our unity. The IDF has many achievements, but unfortunately, we are also paying a heavy price in loss of life. Lt. Col. Salman Habaka, I salute you."

Imad said, "Salman was always the first. It was always 'follow me.' You can't expect your subordinates to exhibit heroism unless you yourself are a hero. To serve as an example. He understood that and always acted that way." 

Q: Did Salman show such leadership as a child? 

"He was always a leader. Very pleasant, but the one who leads others. When people came to mourn with us, there was a group of students who studied with him at the naval officers school in Acre, and they couldn't stop talking about him. 

"That visit moved me the most. They remembered him in great detail, how he helped everyone with their homework without asking for anything in return, but just because he could. We were also visited by the parents of a soldier who got into debt due to gambling and they shared how Salman helped him get out of that mud. We were told he would go around the base and talk to soldiers, and this is 400 fighters we are talking about. He was interested in each one and would always be there for them if there were any problems. A true commander." 

I ask Mohaveb whether she ever tried to dissuade Salman from a military career and chose a safer path. 

"Not at all," she answers, almost surprised by my question. "We have no choice but to defend our homeland. Who will protect us? Who will give us life if not the soldiers?!" Mohaveb says she believes God is in charge and that it didn't matter whether Salman was in Gaza or running an errand at the time. That was his day, his destiny, and nothing could change it. 

When asked whether the Druze belief in reincarnation offers some kind of comfort, Imad answers, "By and large, yes." 

"You are born again, and a family is waiting for Salman now and they are happy to have a son. We just have to pray that this is a good family that is affectionate and knows how to raise a child." Interestingly, Imad adds, the Druze believe that only those who fell in battle remember fragments of their previous life after reincarnation. 

The funeral, the likes of which the village had never seen, was led by the qadi (spiritual leader) of the Druze in Israel, Shaykh Mowafaq Tarif, who eulogized the celebrated commander and said, among other things, that the leaders of Israel "must today bow their heads before Salman, before his friends and before the thousands of Druze soldiers, who were called up to fight the war. They must wake up from the coma, apologize to the congregation, and bring about a real, substantial, and tangible change. We are partners not only in war but also in times of peace that we all wish for."

According to Imad, the connection between the state and the Druze community is strong despite the challenges, such as the so-called Kaminitz Law that eases the state's path toward destroying illegal buildings, despite the difficulty of obtaining building permits in Arab towns.

"I want Salman to be remembered as a hero of Israel, and it doesn't matter if he is Muslim, Druze, Jewish, or Christian," he says. 

On Oct. 7, when Hamas attacked the Israeli towns near the Gaza border, Salman was at home. The family originally planned to go to the Golan Heights to celebrate Mohaveb's birthday, but then Salman had to bid farewell and join the fight. For four days he did not leave Be'eri until the fighting was over. 

Back home, the family was worried sick as for some time, there was no concrete news but only rumors about the fighting. When Salman finally called, he apologized for not contacting his mother on Oct. 7 to wish her a happy birthday. And Mohaveb, who had a feeling from the very beginning that something bad was going to happen, said she did not want birthday wishes, but only for Salman to be back home. 

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Mohaveb expressed her love through cooking, and to Salman's shock, even visited him on the base. 

"Why did you come, Mom, it's dangerous," Salman said, to which Mohaveb replied, "Because I missed you. I wanted to see you." 

Since Nov. 2, however, Mohaveb hardly enters the kitchen. 

"My hands have no desire to prepare anything that Salman loved to eat. He wasn't just my son, he was my best friend. I would call and consult him about everything and he always had an answer. If not immediately, then a few minutes later. He felt my worry. He told me not to worry, but I knew he would be the first to run to battle."

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Eighteen-year-old Noy Levi from Petah Tikva enlisted in the IDF Wednesday morning, hoping to join the Givati Brigade to honor the memory of her brother, Staff Sgt. Aviv Levi, who was killed on the Gaza border in 2018. 

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"We received the news while on a family vacation in Italy," Levi told Israel Hayom. "It was a Friday and we were getting ready to go out to a restaurant. The phone rang and there was a casualty assistance officer on the line. My father got the news that Aviv was killed on site. From that moment on began a horror film that I don't know how to describe.

"It suddenly felt truly terrible. From the first moment, it was clear to me that I would do something significant. I wanted to be part of the brigade. I understood that working in an administrative capacity would be significant for me and others."

Levi hopes to join the Tzabar Battalion, the same in which her brother served. 

"The family supports me in every decision, even though it is not easy for them," she said. "When I get to Givati, it will be something special, a sort of closure. I've always thought about how I could serve in a way that Aviv would be proud of me. I thought about many options, but realized I didn't have to go far.

"Everyone remembers Aviv because he always helped his fellow soldiers and was a kind of father, brother and commander to all," Levi said. 

Levi's brother was 21 when he was killed by a Hamas sniper during a clash on Gaza border. Staff Sgt. Aviv Levi's death marked the first IDF fatality on the Gaza front ‎after Operation Protective Edge in 2014.‎

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