GAZA: Israel has admitted its worst combat losses in more than a month in the war in the Gaza Strip, and confronted growing diplomatic isolation as civilian demises mounted and a humanitarian disaster worsened in the Palestinian territory.
Heavy fighting was under way in both in Gaza, a day following the UN General Assembly demanded an immediate humanitarian truce. Earlier, US President Joe Biden said Israel’s “indiscriminate” bombardment of civilians was costing global support.
Israel admitted 10 of its soldiers were killed in the past 24 hours, including a full colonel and a lieutenant-colonel in Gaza. Reuters reported that it was the worst one-day loss since fifteen soldiers were killed on October 31.
Gaza War: Israel Suffers Heaviest Combat Losses, Diplomatic Isolation
Most of Israeli soldiers were killed in the Shejaia district of Gaza in the north, where personnel were ambushed attempting to rescue another group of soldiers who had attacked Hamas’s men in a compound, Israeli army said. An Israeli military official admitted Israel had paid “a very heavy price” in the incident.
In a statement, Hamas said it showed that Israeli troops could never subdue the Gaza Strip: “The longer Israel stay there, the greater the bill of your losses and deaths will be, and you will appear from it carrying the tail of loss and disappointment, God willing.”
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In a televised address, Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh said any future plan in the Gaza Strip without Hamas was a “delusion”.
Gaza’s health ministry stated on Wednesday more than 18,608 innocent Palestinians mostly women and children have been killed and more than 50,594 wounded in Israeli attacks on Gaza since October 7.
