Israeli army says 1 more soldier killed, 16 others injured in southern Gaza

By Ahmed Asmar

ANKARA (AA) - The Israeli army on Friday said one more soldier was killed and 16 others were injured in fighting with Palestinian groups in the southern Gaza Strip.

In a statement cited by the Times of Israel newspaper, the Israeli army identified the soldier as Sgt. First Class Alon Kudriashov, 21, from the army's Egoz commando unit.

Among the 16 troops injured, six soldiers are in serious condition, and all of them were transferred to hospitals in Israel.

The latest fatality brought the death toll of Israeli soldiers since the start of the Israeli onslaught in Gaza on Oct. 7 to 598.

Israel has waged a deadly military offensive on the Gaza Strip since an Oct. 7 cross-border attack led by Hamas in which some 1,200 Israelis were killed.

More than 32,600 Palestinians, mostly women and children, have since been killed in Gaza, and over 75,000 injured amid mass destruction and shortages of necessities.

The Israeli war has pushed 85% of Gaza’s population into internal displacement amid a crippling blockade of most food, clean water, and medicine, while 60% of the enclave's infrastructure has been damaged or destroyed, according to the UN.

Israel stands accused of genocide at the International Court of Justice (ICJ), which in an interim ruling in January ordered Tel Aviv to stop genocidal acts and take measures to guarantee that humanitarian assistance is provided to civilians in Gaza.

In a Thursday order, the ICJ called on Israel to take measures “without delay” to ensure “the unhindered provision” of basic services and humanitarian assistance, including food, water, fuel, and medical supplies. The world court said, “Palestinians in Gaza are no longer facing only a risk of famine ... but that famine is setting in.”

*Writing by Ahmed Asmar