Five Israeli soldiers killed by mortar fire Thursday night

Palestinian shells struck a group of Armored Corps soldiers as they gathered Thursday night at the Eshkol staging post after ending combat duties in the Gaza Strip. Their names were released Friday: Sgt. Maj. (res) Daniel Marash, 22, from Rishon Lezion; Capt. Omri Tal, 22, from Yahud; 1st Sgt. Shay Kushnir, 20, from Kiryat Motzkin; St.-Sgt. Noam Rosenthal, 20, from Meitar; and Capt. (res.) Liran Adir (Edry), 31, from Ezuz. Last Monday, four Israeli soldiers were killed in the same place in similar circumstances. There are still 140 wounded soldiers recovering in hospitals around the country, 17 in serious condition.