By Zein Khalil
JERUSALEM (AA) – The Israeli army said Sunday that 425 soldiers have been killed since the start of the Gaza conflict on Oct. 7.
A military statement said the fatalities included 97 soldiers, who were killed since Israel expanded its ground offensive in the besieged Palestinian enclave on Oct. 27.
According to the release, 1,593 other troops were also injured, including 559 soldiers, who were wounded in the Gaza ground operation.
The military statement was released a day after Yedioth Ahronoth newspaper reported on Saturday that more than 5,000 soldiers have been injured in Gaza since the latest conflict began, with more than 2,000 officially recognized by the Defense Ministry as disabled.
Israel has launched relentless air and ground attacks on the Gaza Strip following a cross-border attack by Hamas in October, killing at least 17,700 Palestinians and injuring more than 48,780 others, according to health authorities in the Palestinian enclave.
The Israeli death toll in the Hamas attack stood at 1,200, according to official figures.