Tel Aviv [Israel], November 2 : At least 15 Israeli soldiers have been killed during the ground invasion in Gaza since Tuesday as its forces press deeper into the enclave, attacking dozens of targets affiliated with its Hamas terror group, The New York Times reported citing the Israeli military.
The 15 deaths, mostly of infantry soldiers, were the first casualties inside Gaza publicly confirmed by Israel's military since it launched a ground invasion on Friday.
The IDF confirmed the death in battle of two additional fallen soldiers: Staff Sgt Itay Yehuda, 20, and Staff Sgt. Shay Arvas, 20, bringing the death toll of soldiers killed in the Gaza ground operation so far to 15, Times of Israel reported.
In Israel, the soldiers' names and faces were plastered on the home pages of most news websites. Others were read out live on Israeli television when the military announced their deaths on Wednesday, as per the New York Times.
The Israeli military said it has struck more than 11,000 targets in the Gaza Strip since the horrific attacks by Hamas on October 7 which killed over 1400 Israeli people and over 200 were taken hostages.
Earlier on Tuesday, Israeli forces took over a Hamas military stronghold in western Jabaliya, a densely packed residential area north of Gaza City, claiming to kill more than 50 terrorists.
Meanwhile, Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant said that the IDF is making immense achievements in its ground operation in the Gaza Strip
"I am impressed by the activities of our forces," he said in comments during an assessment held near the Gaza border. "This is a determined, decisive action. There is strong cooperation between ground and air forces."
"There are very important achievements being made in the field hitting terrorists of all levels, from fighters in the field to high-ranked ones," Times of Israel quoted him as saying.
The defense minister further said that IDF activity is exposing underground tunnels and forcing the terrorists out.
He adds that there are, "prices paid on our side, as happens in any battle," a reference to the 15 IDF soldiers killed so far in the ground operation, Times of Israel reported.
Later, the IDF confirmed the death of two additional fallen soldiers: Staff Sgt Itay Yehuda, 20, and Staff Sgt. Shay Arvas, 20, bringing the death toll of soldiers killed in the Gaza ground operation so far to 15.
Yehuda, the son of Ofer and Rinat from Rishon Lezion, was a member of the Givati Brigade and was killed yesterday in fighting, the military says. He will be buried this evening in Holon.
Arvas, a combat medic with the Givati Brigade's Tzabar unit from Holon, was also killed yesterday, the military says.
The four soldiers including two announced earlier today were killed in the anti-tank guided missile attack yesterday that left seven other members of the Givati Brigade's Tzabar unit dead.
Another two soldiers of the Paratrooper's 101st Battalion were also seriously wounded during battles with Hamas in Gaza today.
Senior Israeli officials have said the goal of the military operation is to dismantle Hamas, although it is far from clear what would happen if they were to succeed. Officials have told the Israeli public to expect a long, bloody campaign against the Palestinian armed group.
"This is a difficult campaign, it requires combat in Gaza," Tzachi Hanegbi, Israel's national security adviser, told reporters in Tel Aviv on Tuesday, before news of the soldiers' deaths was announced. "There is no combat without a painful price," New York Times reported.
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