By Abdelraouf Arnaout
JERUSALEM (AA) - The Israeli military on Friday reported the death of an Israeli tank commander in ground combat in the southern Gaza Strip.
Maj. Shai Oriel Bezem, 23, a reserve soldier serving as a tank commander in the Ninth Battalion, was killed in a battle in the southern Gaza Strip, said an army statement.
The Israeli army, on its official website, said this news brings the total number of soldiers and officers killed since the onset of the conflict on Oct. 7 to 449, including 118 fatalities since the start of ground battles on the strip on Oct. 27.
Since Oct. 7, at least 18,787 Palestinians have since been killed and 50,897 injured in Israeli attacks in the Gaza Strip, according to Gaza health authorities.
*Writing by Rania Abu Shamala