The late IDF Staff Sgt. Gal Basson, 21, from Holon. Photo: Provided photo.

JNS.org – Ten more Israel Defense Forces (IDF) officers and soldiers were killed in ground battles in Gaza over the weekend, bringing the IDF death toll to 43 in the current conflict with Hamas.

Staff Sgt. Gal Basson, 21, from Holon, was killed in action just three months before his scheduled release from the IDF. He was “a giant hero who departed for battle knowing he was risking his life,” his aunt Orit said, according to Israel Hayom.

Staff Sgt. Guy Boyland, 21, was a combat engineer who immigrated to Israel with his parents from New Zealand.

“We had no contact with him for three weeks or a month and we were all worried about him,” his aunt, Rotem Gofar, told reporters. “There are no words to describe the sorrow and loss.”

Staff Sgt. Amit Yeori, 20, from Jerusalem, “was always modest and made do with little. … He never asked for a care package, never a visit, never extra time off,” said his father, Shahar.

The other IDF fatalities were Sgt. First Class (res.) Barak Refael Degorker, 27, from Gan Yavne; Chief Warrant Officer in the Paratroopers Brigade Rami Kahlon, 39, from Hadera; Lt. Roi Peles, 21, from Tel Aviv; Capt. Liad Lavi, 22, from Sde Nitzan; Master Sgt. (res.) Yair Ashkenazi, 36, from Rehovot; Staff Sgt. Guy Levy, 21, from Kfar Vradim; Staff Sgt. Avraham Grintzvaig, 20, from Petach Tikva.