UPDATES WITH NEW DEATH ANNOUNCEMENT, EDITS THROUGHOUT
By Mustafa Habboush
ISTANBUL (AA) – The Israeli army on Wednesday said 10 of its troops, including commanders, were killed in battles in the northern Gaza Strip in the past 24 hours.
In a first statement, the military said eight soldiers were killed in battles in eastern Gaza City and three others seriously wounded.
Public broadcaster KAN said the troops killed included Lt. Col. Tomer Grinberg, 35, commander of the Golani Brigade’s 13th Battalion, Maj. Roei Meldasi, 23, a company commander in the Golani Brigade’s 13th Battalion, and Maj. Moshe Avram Bar On, 23, a company commander in the Golani Brigade’s 51st Battalion.
The Times of Israel, citing a military source, said seven of the eight troops were killed in a series of blasts while searching buildings in the Gaza City neighborhood of Shejaiya.
In a separate statement, the Israeli military said two other troops including a military commander were killed in battles in northern Gaza.
The new deaths bring the army's death toll in the ground offensive since late October to at least 115.
Israel has bombarded the Gaza Strip from the air and land, imposed a siege and mounted a ground offensive in retaliation for a cross-border attack by Hamas on Oct. 7.
At least 18,412 Palestinians have been killed and 50,100 injured in the Israeli onslaught since then, according to Gaza’s health authorities.
The official Israeli death toll in the Hamas attack stands at 1,200, while around 139 hostages remain in captivity, according to official figures.
It has also forced some 1.9 million people to flee their homes.
Gazans face severe shortages of food, water and other basic goods as only a trickle of aid is allowed in.
The UN General Assembly on Tuesday voted overwhelmingly to demand a humanitarian cease-fire in Gaza. There were 153 votes in favor, 10 against and 23 abstentions.
*Writing by Ahmed Asmar