Death Toll Israeli Forces Killed In War Approaching 330; Prime Minister Mourning
By Stefan J. Bos, Chief International Correspondent Worthy News
GAZA/JERUSALEM (Worthy News) – Israel’s military said Wednesday that 11 troops died in ground fighting in the Gaza Strip, taking the number of Israeli military killed since October 7 to at least 326.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu joined other Israeli leaders in expressing condolences for the soldiers killed in fighting Hamas in Gaza.
“We are in a tough war. This will be a long war. We have important achievements but also painful losses,” Netanyahu said. “We know that every one of our soldiers is an entire world. All of Israel embraces you, the families, from the bottom of our hearts.”
He added, “All of us are with you during this time of mourning. Our soldiers fell in a war where there was no justice, a war for our home. I promise you, the citizens of Israel: we will complete the task – we will continue until victory.”
The names of the deceased announced by the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) made clear that all soldiers killed in Gaza were youngsters whose lives had just begun, ranging in age from 19 to 21.
The IDF said they died in clashes in northern Gaza in Israel’s declared “war against terrorist organization Hamas” after its gunmen killed 1,400 people, most of them Jews, on October 7 in Israel.
The soldiers killed in Gaza were named as Lt. Ariel Reich, 21, from Jerusalem; Cpl. Asif Luger, 21, from Yagur; Sgt. Adi Danan, 20, from Yavne; Staff-Sgt. Halel Solomon, 20, from Dimona; Staff-Sgt. Erez Mishlovsky, 20, from Oranit; Staff-Sgt. Adi Leon, 20, from Nili; Cpl. Ido Ovadia, 19, from Tel Aviv; Cpl. Lior Siminovich, 19, from Herzliya; Staff-Sgt. Roei Dawi, 20, from Jerusalem; 2nd-Lt. Pedaya Mark, from Otniel, and Staff-Sgt. Roei Sargosti from Nahal Haro’eh Farm.
ANTI-TANK MISSILE
Most of the latest victims were soldiers from the 77th Battalion. They were killed by an anti-tank missile that hit a Namer Armored Personnel Carrier, and four more were injured in the incident, the ISD said.
Earlier on Tuesday, the IDF announced that two other soldiers among those killed in the Gaza battles – Sgt. Roei Wolf and Sgt. Lavi Lipshitz of Givati were killed by a rocket-propelled missile hitting the building where they were staying.
There were also causalities outside the Gaza Strip reported. “To date, the families of 317 fallen soldiers have been notified that their loved ones fell in battle,” in and outside the Palestinian enclave, the IDF said in a statement.
It also said that “families of 240 hostages have been notified” that Hamas took their loved ones since October 7. “This number continues to climb due to the complex identification process, particularly for non-Israeli residents.”
The announcements came as the first group of injured evacuees from the Gaza Strip entered Egypt on Wednesday via ambulances through the Rafah crossing, Egyptian sources said.
It was thought that 88 injured Palestinians and around 500 foreign nationals would be allowed out.
MANY IMPACTED
Ambulances entered Gaza from Egypt early Wednesday as crowds gathered at the gates, witnesses said.
Many seek to flee Gaza, where Israel says it hit more than 11,000 targets since the war began.
The Hamas-run health ministry in Gaza says more than 8,500 people have been killed since Israel’s retaliatory bombing began.
Yet death toll figures have been complex to verify independently in a territory with virtually no press freedom and doubts about Hamas records, critics say.
Information from Gaza was also difficult to receive as phone and internet services were “completely cut,” said provider Paltel.
There have been calls for a ceasefire, but Netanyahu has made clear that Israel won’t halt its offensive until Hamas has been destroyed.
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