The number of Israeli soldiers killed overnight in the ongoing ground battles in the besieged Gaza Strip has risen to 16, Israeli media reported.
In a press conference on Wednesday, the Israeli Army spokesman, Daniel Hagari, confirmed the losses describing them as “painful”. He admitted to the killing of 15 soldiers.
In a later announcement, the Israeli army announced the killing of another soldier.
Starting on October 27, Israel expanded its air and ground war on Gaza.
CHANNEL 12: The number of Israeli soldiers killed in #Gaza has risen to 15.
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— The Palestine Chronicle (@PalestineChron) November 1, 2023
Since Tuesday, the Israeli occupation forces have released several statements reporting intense fighting following infiltrations from various directions.
Commenting on the deaths of Israeli soldiers in Gaza, Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant said in a statement that this is a “hard and painful blow,” but that the campaign requires “courage, determination and perseverance”.
On Wednesday, Al-Jazeera cited a field commander with the Al-Qassam Brigades, the armed wing of the Palestinian Resistance Movement Hamas, as saying that the number of deaths among the occupation soldiers is higher than what is announced by the Israeli army.
ISMAIL HANIYEH: I tell the enemies that you were defeated on October 7 and in your faltering ground incursion.
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— The Palestine Chronicle (@PalestineChron) November 1, 2023
Al-Qassam Brigades issued several statements on Wednesday reporting intense fighting in different parts of the Gaza Strip.
The Brigades said that they were able to destroy various Israeli military vehicles with Al-Yassin 105 shells, missiles, and Zawari drones.
Following the announcement by the Israeli army, Al-Qassam Brigades released a video showing fighters blowing up several Israeli tanks and armored vehicles east of the Zaytoun neighborhood in Gaza.
WATCH: A just-released video compilation by Al-Qassam Brigades. Several Israeli tanks and other armored vehicles are blown up in fighting east of the Zaytoun neighborhood in Gaza.
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— The Palestine Chronicle (@PalestineChron) November 1, 2023
Israel has, thus far, killed over 8,796 Palestinians in Gaza, including 3,648 children and 2,290 women, and wounded more than 23,000. Palestinian Ministry of Health reports and international organizations say that the majority of those killed and wounded are women and children.
Despite a massive Israeli military buildup around the Gaza borders and sporadic infiltrations on the outskirts of the besieged Strip, Palestinian Resistance continues to repel Israeli attacks.
To justify its military failure, the Israeli army continues to pound civilian homes throughout the Gaza Strip with new massacres reported everywhere in the besieged enclave.
Gaza has been under a tight Israeli military siege since 2007, following a democratic election in occupied Palestine, the results of which were rejected by Tel Aviv and Washington.
(The Palestine Chronicle)
