Israeli army says paying 'heavy, painful price' amid Gaza ground attack

By Abdel Raouf Arnaout

JERUSALEM (AA) – Israeli Army Chief of Staff Herzi Halevi said Thursday the Israeli forces are paying a “heavy and painful price” during the Gaza war.

At least 20 Israeli soldiers have been killed in fighting inside the Gaza Strip since Tuesday.

“War has a heavy and painful price, but it is necessary,” Halevi said in a message to Israeli forces.

“We are in the midst of a war. It will be a long war and we will fight until the end. We are being proactive and fighting against the enemy in their territory,” he said.

“We are advancing in the stages of the war, and operating on the ground inside the enemy’s territory, supported by precise and heavy fire. The activity will continue and intensify according to the stages of the war and its objectives, as defined by the Israeli government,” Halevi added.

The army chief said Israeli forces inflicted heavy losses on Hamas and damaged its infrastructure.

“We will continue to push tirelessly and take advantage of every opportunity to bring the hostages home, through both risky overt and covert efforts, as we have already done,” he added.

This week, the Israeli army has expanded its air and ground attacks on the Gaza Strip, which has been under relentless airstrikes since a cross-border attack by Hamas on Oct. 7.

Nearly 10,600 people have been killed in the conflict, including 9,061 Palestinians and more than 1,538 Israelis.

Besides the large number of casualties and displacement, basic supplies are running low for the 2.3 million residents in Gaza due to the Israeli siege.

*Writing by Ziad Aslan in Ankara