Israeli army says another soldier killed in Gaza Strip

ANKARA

Another Israeli soldier was killed in clashes with Palestinian resistance fighters in the Gaza Strip, the Israeli army said on Sunday.

Sgt. Nerya Belete, 21, a fighter in the Givat patrol, fell in battle in southern Gaza Strip, the Israeli army said in a statement without providing further details.

It added that an officer and two fighters in the Givat patrol were also seriously injured in southern Gaza Strip.

A total of 239 Israeli soldiers have been killed since the start of the Israeli ground operation in Gaza on Oct. 27, while the death toll stands at 578 since the launch of the Israeli onslaught against Gaza on Oct. 7 following the Hamas attack.

The number of wounded among Israeli soldiers reached 2,962, including 453 in serious condition.

The ensuing Israeli bombardment has killed over 29,600 Palestinians and injured about 69,737 with mass destruction and shortages of necessities.

The Israeli war on Gaza has pushed 85% of the territory's population into internal displacement amid acute shortages of food, clean water, and medicine, while 60% of the enclave's infrastructure has been damaged or destroyed, according to the UN.

Israel stands accused of genocide at the International Court of Justice. An interim ruling in January ordered Tel Aviv to stop genocidal acts and take measures to guarantee that humanitarian assistance is provided to civilians in Gaza.


* Writing by Ikram Kouachi