By Ahmed Asmar
ANKARA (AA) - The Israeli army on Friday announced that four more Israeli soldiers had been killed in overnight fierce fighting in Gaza with Palestinian fighters.
According to Haaretz daily, the Israeli army death toll since the start of the military ground operation in Gaza on Tuesday has risen so far to 23 army personnel.
Palestinian group Hamas’ military wing the Al-Qassam Brigades, however, said late on Thursday that the number of Israeli deaths in Gaza is much higher than what Israel has announced.
Meanwhile, heavy Israeli airstrikes continued overnight across Gaza, bringing more casualties to the Palestinian death toll.
This week, the Israeli army expanded its air and ground attacks on the Gaza Strip, which has been under relentless airstrikes since the Palestinian group Hamas launched a cross-border attack against Israel 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 numbers of casualties and displacement, basic supplies are running low for Gaza’s 2.3 million residents due to the Israeli siege.