Israeli soldier killed in battle in northern Gaza

By Abdelraouf Arna'out

JERUSALEM (AA) – The Israeli army on Thursday announced the death of another soldier during a battle in the northern Gaza Strip.

Sgt. First Class (res.) Maor Gershoni, 24, of the army's 6th Brigade's 8173rd Battalion, was killed in battles in the northern area of the enclave on Wednesday evening, the Israeli army said in a statement.

According to the Times of Israel, 87 Israeli soldiers have died since the army began its ground operation in Gaza on Oct. 27.

The new soldier's fatality brings the total number of Israeli army deaths since Oct. 7 to 414.

On Tuesday, Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant during a joint press conference with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and War Cabinet Minister Benny Gantz admitted that the army paid a very high price since the beginning of its bloody onslaught on the Gaza Strip on Oct. 7.

In previous statements, the Israeli army had acknowledged that its soldiers are fighting "fierce battles" against Palestinian fighters.

Israel resumed its military offensive on the Gaza Strip on Dec. 1 after a weeklong humanitarian pause with the Palestinian group Hamas.

At least 16,248 Palestinians have been killed and more than 43,616 others injured in relentless air and ground attacks on the enclave since Oct. 7 following a cross-border attack by Hamas.

The Israeli death toll in the Hamas attack stood at 1,200, according to official figures.

* Writing by Ahmed Asmar