Commanders and soldiers from the Israeli Defense Forces' 605th Engineering Battalion, 188th Brigade, 605th Brigade, and Golani Brigade's 51st Brigade lit the seventh Hanukkah candle this evening, December 20, 2025, at the Khan Yunis site where seven battalion soldiers died last June, according to a report published over the past hour. The emotional ceremony closed a "circle of light from memory" dedicated to the fallen from the Iron Swords War: Lt. Matan Shay Yeshinovsky, Sgt. Ronal Ben-Moshe, Sgt. Niv Radieh, Sgt. Ronan Shapiro, Sgt. Shahar Manoav, Sgt. Maayan Baruch Perlstein, and Sgt., the report stated. In recent days, these forces have conducted defense missions in the Gaza Envelope. "The light of the candles we lit tonight is a living testimony that even in the heaviest darkness, the spirit of our fallen continues to light our way," Col. M. of the 188th Brigade said at the event. "We continue to fight, to remember, and to ensure that their heroism will be the light that leads us to victory." This gathering follows the IDF's announcement earlier on December 20 of the 188th Armored Brigade replacing the Kfir Brigade in Khan Yunis after tunnel demolitions by Kfir and Yahalom units, per an IDF statement released that afternoon.
