Israeli media reports higher army casualties in Gaza than official numbers

By Anadolu staff

JERUSALEM (AA) - At least 4,200 Israeli soldiers have been injured since the current conflict in the Gaza Strip erupted in October, Israeli media said Thursday.

The new figures contradict those that were officially released by the army about casualties in the Palestinian enclave.

Official figures showed 604 soldiers were killed, including 260 in Israel’s ground offensive which started Oct. 27, while 3,210 were injured.

But figures cited by the Yedioth Ahronoth newspaper revealed that 4,200 injured soldiers were seen by doctors in the field, 2,400 evacuated by land and 300 killed in the ground offensive.

The new figures also showed that 80 soldiers received life-saving transfusions of plasma and 550 were treated by arterial tourniquets to stop the loss of blood.

At the height of the fighting, 60 wounded soldiers were evacuated per day, on average, it added.

Yedioth Ahronoth said most of the injuries were to exposed body parts, including limbs, the lower parts of the head and neck and along the side of the body.

Shrapnel injuries to the ribs, which are not protected by ceramic vests used by the army, were the cause of death to most soldiers in Gaza, it said.

The Israeli army has waged a deadly offensive in the Gaza Strip since an Oct. 7 cross-border attack by Hamas, which killed less than 1,200 people.

The war has killed more than 33,500 people and injured over 76,000 in Gaza and caused mass destruction, displacement and brought the Palestinian population of more than 2 million on the verge of famine in the enclave.

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