By Zein Khalil
JERUSALEM (AA) - Israeli media on Monday said a single Israeli hospital had received 18 Israeli soldiers injured from battles in Gaza in the past 24 hours.
Israeli Channel 7 quoted a statement by the Soroka Medical Center in southern Israel as saying among the injured soldiers there is at least one in a serious condition.
The hospital noted that currently there are 49 Israeli soldiers hospitalized in its various departments including 16 in serious condition.
On Monday, the Israeli army said two more soldiers were killed and one seriously injured in battles in northern Gaza.
The Israeli army has lost so far 489 army personnel including soldiers and commanders since Oct. 7 in fighting with Palestinian groups in Gaza.
Israel has pounded the Gaza Strip since a cross-border attack by the Palestinian group Hamas on Oct. 7, killing at least 20,700 Palestinians, mostly women and children, and injuring 54,536 others, according to local health authorities.
Around 1,200 Israelis are believed to have been killed in the Hamas attack.
*Writing by Ahmed Asmar