Israeli newspaper Yedioth Ahronoth disclosed that the Israeli Air Force's elite forces, known as "Shaldag," suffered more losses within the Gaza Strip than in all preceding wars combined.

The newspaper's military correspondent, Yossi Yehoshua, said  that the "Shaldag" unit, which has been fighting with the infantry forces since October 7, "lost more soldiers in this battle than it lost in all previous wars... nine of its soldiers were killed."

He pointed out that the contrast in operational methods is evident in the casualty figures, emphasizing that Unit 669's teams operate immediate rescue groups in the field, and they are deployed with all combat units. "Some of its soldiers were killed in the terrible disaster of the 13th Battalion in the Kasbah in Shujaia."

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The newspaper highlighted that the occupation army is incurring a significant cost in terms of losses, as well as in training. It emphasized that "training special unit fighters takes more time and money, and it is not easy to fill their places.

One of the most prominent officers in the “Shaldag” unit (the elite forces of the Air Force) in the Israeli occupation army was killed yesterday during the violent confrontations that the Palestinian Resistance is waging in northern Gaza with the invading occupation forces, according to what was revealed by the Israeli media. 

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This raises the number of Israeli troops announced dead yesterday to four, including two officers. Additionally, at least five Israeli soldiers were injured by the Resistance in the Gaza Strip.

560 Israeli troops killed since Oct. 7

Earlier on Wednesday, Israeli media announced that the number of Israeli troops killed since the start of the ground invasion of the Gaza Strip stood at 223, raising the number of killed troops since October 7 to 560.

According to information from the Israeli military, a total of 2,797 Israeli soldiers have been wounded since the commencement of the war on the Gaza Strip. Among them, 424 soldiers have suffered severe injuries, 726 have sustained moderate injuries, and 1,647 have experienced minor injuries.

Regarding the soldiers wounded since the initiation of the ground invasion, their count stands at 1,283, with 260 facing critical injuries, 429 having moderate injuries, and 594 having minor injuries. Furthermore, there are currently 378 soldiers undergoing treatment, with 35 in critical condition, 240 in moderate condition, and 103 in minor condition.

What is the IOF's Shaldag Unit?

The Shaldag Unit is one of the occupation military's top special units and is headquartered in the "Palmachim" Airbase, around 45 km to the north of Gaza City.

Recruits selected to undergo training for the "Shaldag Unit" are expected to have exceptional scores and abilities, and are secured to have passed the initial commando units' selection day in the recruitment process. These recruits then undergo the most extensive and longest training phase of any Israeli unit, which lasts for 22 months.

Troops of the units are equipped with six months of basic and advanced infantry training, parachuting practice, airborne practice, and intelligence gathering and reconnaissance skills.

This is done to ensure that members of the "Shaldag Unit" can complete commando missions deep within enemy lines, in which they are expected to deploy undetected into combat environments, to complete a flurry of objectives.