JERUSALEM
Israel admitted on Sunday that 13 soldiers of its elite Golani Brigade have been killed in battles with Palestinian fighters in the Gaza Strip.
"Since last night, 13 soldiers from the Golani Brigades were killed while fighting Hamas terrorists in Gaza," the Israeli army said on its official twitter account.
Golani Brigade commander, Colonel Raslan Alian, was seriously wounded during fighting in Gaza on Saturday and evacuated for medical treatment.
The latest fatalities bring to 18 the number of Israeli troops killed since Israel launched its ground incursion into the blockaded Gaza Strip on Thursday.
Since July 7, Israel has been pounding the Gaza Strip, home to some 1.8 million Palestinians, with crippling air and naval bombardments with the ostensible aim of halting rocket fire emanating from the strip.
At least 425 Palestinians have been killed and 3008 injured in the unrelenting Israeli attacks.
Israel's military operation, dubbed "Operation Protective Edge," is the self-proclaimed Jewish state's third major offensive against Gaza in the last six years.
www.aa.com.tr/en
