Israeli soldiers operate at the Shajaiya district of Gaza city amid the ongoing conflict between Israel and the Palestinian terror group Hamas, in the Gaza Strip, Dec. 8, 2023. Photo: REUTERS/Yossi Zeliger

Ten soldiers of the Israel Defense Forces (IDF), including high-ranking officers, were killed fighting Hamas terrorists in Gaza, the Israeli army said on Wednesday.

Nine of the soldiers died while engaged in combat in the northern Gaza Strip village of Shejaiya, known as a stronghold of the Hamas terror group. It was one of the deadliest single encounters since Israeli troops launched their ground campaign into Gaza in October.

The soldiers were engaging in search operations when they entered buildings that they believed to be abandoned, only to find a tunnel inside. Upon entering the building, they were ambushed with grenades and gunfire, which led to four IDF deaths immediately.

Between the gun battle and grenades flying, another 5 soldiers were killed, including two from the elite 669 unit, considered one of the best search and rescue military units in the world.

Among the dead was Col. Itzhak Ben Basat, 44, head of the Golani Brigade’s commander’s team. He was the most senior IDF officer to have been killed in the ground offensive against Hamas.

Staff Sgt. Oriya Yaakov, 19, was killed in a separate incident in northern Gaza.

“The Maccabees of our day,” Israeli President Isaac Herzog tweeted in reference to the soldiers killed on Tuesday. “The joy of Hanukkah this year is more difficult than ever, when the candles of the menorah and the candles of remembrance mingle with each other, with sorrow and grief, but no less — with immense pride and faith in the righteousness of the path.”

Hanukkah, the Jewish festival of lights, began last Thursday and is set to end on Friday night. It marks the re-dedication of the Holy Temple in Jerusalem in the 2nd century BCE, after a small group of Jewish fighters known as the Maccabees liberated the land from oppressive foreign forces.

“Ten names were added today to our bereaved tombstone in the difficult and just war against the cruel enemy,” Herzog added. “Ten commanders and fighters, the best of the best, heroes among heroes who fell in the battle for the defense of the people and the homeland, and left a huge void in their image — in the hearts of all of us.”

The Israeli president concluded by saying that the Jewish state “swears to fulfill their will: the eternity of Israel and the unity of Israel.” He also quoted the Bible: “And I heard every candle and candle, calling to me: ‘Arise, awake, living people and arise!'”

War Cabinet Minister Benny Gantz also tweeted about the incident, saying, “Every one who falls is a scar on the entire State of Israel, and every such scar is a reminder of the heroism of our warriors, and of the need to be worthy as a society of their sacrifice.”

Wednesday’s announcement by Israel brought the Israeli death toll in the ground offensive to 115, not including the roughly 300 soldiers and police murdered during Hamas’ Oct. 7 massacre across southern Israel that launched the current conflict. An additional 900 civilians were killed during the onslaught.