Another Israeli soldier killed in Gaza Strip, says army

By Gulsen Topcu

ISTANBUL (AA) — Another Israeli soldier died in clashes with Palestinian resistance fighters in the Gaza Strip, according to the country's army on Sunday.

Shimon Yehoshua Asulin, 24, from the 924th engineering battalion of the Southern Command's Harel Brigade, died in clashes in the south of the Gaza Strip, the Israeli army said in a statement.

With the latest death, the number of soldiers killed since Oct. 7 has increased to 562, including 225 who have died since the start of the ground operation on Oct. 27.

Israel launched a deadly offensive on the Gaza Strip on Oct. 7 that has killed at least 27,238 Palestinians and injured 66,452 following a surprise attack by the Palestinian resistance group, Hamas. Nearly 1,200 Israelis are believed to have been killed in the Hamas attack.

The Israeli offensive has left 85% of Gaza’s population internally displaced amid acute shortages of food, clean water and medicine, while 60% of the enclave’s infrastructure has been damaged or destroyed, according to the UN.

South Africa filed a genocide case in December against Israel at the International Court of Justice.

The court on Jan. 26 found South Africa's claim that Israel is committing genocide plausible. It issued an interim order urging Israel to stop obstructing aid deliveries into Gaza and to improve the humanitarian situation.

*Writing by Gozde Bayar​​​​​​​