UPDATE – Israeli army confirms 18 soldiers killed in Gaza ground operations

UPDATES DEATH TOLL; OTHER CHANGES

By Anadolu staff

JERUSALEM (AA) – The Israeli army confirmed on Thursday a military commander was killed in clashes in the Gaza Strip, taking the death toll of its soldiers in the strip where it recently ramped up air and ground attacks to 18.

A military statement said the commander of the 53rd Battalion was killed in northern Gaza, while four other soldiers were seriously injured.

The army earlier said that two soldiers had succumbed to the wounds they sustained during ground operations inside Gaza.

Clashes and direct confrontations between the Israeli army and fighters of Al-Qassam Brigades, the armed wing of Palestinian group Hamas which carried out a surprise cross-border attack in Israel on Oct. 7, have escalated, particularly at the Erez crossing, the border point between northern Gaza and Israel, since Tuesday.

*Writing by Rania Abu Shamala