Israeli army says 123 soldiers have been killed in fighting against Hamas

By Ahmed Asmar

ANKARA (AA) - The Israeli army announced Tuesday that 123 soldiers have died since fighting broke out with the Palestinian Hamas group over the weekend.

The Times of Israel website reported that the Israeli army released the names of another 38 soldiers killed in the fighting over the past three days, bringing the overall toll to 123.

Meanwhile, the total number of Israelis killed so far stands at 900, while the number of wounded is 2,616.

As for the Israeli captives held in Gaza, no exact number has been released by the Israeli authorities. While the Israeli army announced that it informed over 100 families that their relatives are in Hamas captivity, Israel’s ambassador to the UN Gilad Erdan estimated that the number of Israeli hostages is between 100 to 150.

Hamas launched Operation Al-Aqsa Flood against Israel early Saturday, firing a barrage of rockets and infiltrating Israel by land, air and sea. It said the surprise attack was in response to the storming of Al-Aqsa Mosque in occupied East Jerusalem and increased settler violence against Palestinians.

In retaliation, the Israeli military launched Operation Swords of Iron against Hamas in the Gaza Strip.

The number of Palestinians killed by Israeli forces in Gaza has risen to 704, including 143 children and 105 women, the Gaza-based Health Ministry said early Tuesday. It said the number of wounded has risen to around 4,000.