GAZA — An Israeli colonel has died during combat in northern Gaza, becoming one of the country’s highest-ranking officers to be killed in its war with Hamas.

The Israel Defense Forces announced the death of Col. Ehsan Daxa, commander of the 401st “Iron Tracks” Brigade of the 162nd Division, on Sunday.

Daxa is one of the highest-ranking Israeli officers to have been killed in Gaza since Col. Yitzhak Ben Bashet, who died in December last year in the northern Gaza neighborhood of Shujaiya.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu described Daxa as “a hero of Israel, a warrior and a commander” who had chosen to “invest all his energy in the security of Israel and its citizens.”

He sent condolences to Daxa’s wife Huda and his children Omri, Rif and Yasmin.

Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant said Daxa had died in a “battle against Hamas” in Gaza.

“The state of Israel lost today a bold commander, a brave officer and a man who contributed his energy to the security of the state,” Gallant posted on X.

Rafik Halabi, mayor of Daxa’s hometown Daliyat al-Karmel, said on X, “With sorrow, pain, and much grief, Daliyat al-Karmel, the IDF, the Druze community, and the state of Israel say goodbye to one of its heroes.”

Earlier on Sunday, Hamas said its fighters had hit an Israeli Merkava tank and a Namer armored personnel carrier with missiles near Jabalya camp in northern Gaza. The IDF has not elaborated on the circumstances surrounding Daxa’s death. — CNN