ISTANBUL

The Israeli army announced Monday that a soldier was killed and another critically wounded during ongoing clashes in southern Gaza.

A military statement identified the killed soldier as Staff Sergeant Amit Cohen, aged 19, from Holon, a soldier in the 13th Battalion of the Golani Brigade, which is currently operating in the Khan Younis area.

The injured officer was transported to a hospital for treatment. No further details were provided on the timing or circumstances of the incidents.

In recent weeks, Palestinian armed factions -- most notably Hamas’ military wing, the Al-Qassam Brigades -- have released footage of their operations against Israeli forces, killing and wounding several soldiers in ground battles across the Gaza Strip.

At least 894 Israeli soldiers have been killed and 6,109 injured since the outbreak of the Gaza war in October 2023, according to military figures.

Israel has killed more than 59,000 Palestinians, most of them women and children, in the Gaza Strip since October 2023. The military campaign has devastated the enclave, collapsed the health system and led to severe food shortages.

Last November, the International Criminal Court issued arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant for war crimes and crimes against humanity in Gaza.

Israel also faces a genocide case at the International Court of Justice for its war on the enclave.