Israel: army says soldier killed in Gaza ground offensive takes death toll to 35

Israel continues to deploy soldiers, tanks and armored vehicles near the Gaza border as Israeli attacks continue on the 27th day in Sderot, Israel on November 02, 2023 [Mostafa Alkharouf/Anadolu Agency]

Another Israeli soldier has been killed in the Gaza Strip, taking the death toll to 35 since Israel expanded a ground offensive in the blockaded enclave on 27 October, the army said on Thursday.

The soldier from the Combat Engineering Corp’s 8219th Battalion was killed in the fighting in the central Gaza Strip on Wednesday. Five more soldiers were seriously injured in the coastal territory, reported the Israeli public broadcaster KAN, taking the total of those wounded in the same period to more than 260.

At least 10,569 Palestinians, including 4,324 children and 2,823 women, have been killed in Israeli air and ground attacks in the Gaza Strip since a cross-border attack by the Palestinian group Hamas on Oct. 7. The death toll within Israel, meanwhile, is nearly 1,600, according to official figures.

Besides the large number of casualties and massive displacements, basic supplies are running low for Gaza’s 2.3 million residents due to the 16-year Israeli siege.

READ: UN chief says Gaza deaths show something ‘wrong’ with Israel operation

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