4 more Israeli soldiers killed in northern Gaza, army says

By Ahmed Asmar

ANKARA (AA) – Four more Israeli soldiers were killed in the northern Gaza Strip, the military said on Tuesday as army forces continued a deadly offensive on the blockaded area.

A military statement said the four soldiers, from the army’s elite Multidomain Unit, lost their lives in fighting in northern Gaza, without providing circumstances of their death.

The army said an officer was also seriously injured in the fighting.

According to military figures, at least 776 soldiers have been killed and around 5,100 others injured since the outbreak of the Gaza conflict on Oct. 7, 2023.

However, Israeli opposition leader Yair Lapid said Monday that 890 soldiers have been killed and 11,000 others injured since last year, warning that military casualties will continue to increase amid Israel’s deadly offensives in Gaza and Lebanon.

The Israeli army has continued a deadly onslaught in northern Gaza since Oct. 5 to allegedly prevent Hamas from regrouping amid a suffocating siege on the area. Palestinians, however, accuse Israel of seeking to occupy the area and forcibly displace its residents.

More than 1,000 people have been killed in northern Gaza since the offensive began, according to the Palestinian Civil Defense Service.

The onslaught was the latest episode in a brutal Israeli war on the Gaza Strip since a Hamas attack last year, despite a UN Security Council resolution demanding an immediate cease-fire.

Over 43,000 people have since been killed, mostly women and children, and over 101,000 others injured, according to local health authorities.

As the conflict spread to Lebanon with Israel launching deadly strikes across the country, over 2,700 people have been killed and more than 12,500 others injured in Israeli attacks since last year, according to Lebanese health authorities.

Israel expanded the conflict by launching on Oct. 1 a ground assault into southern Lebanon.