“The losses suffered today by the occupation in Khan Younis … illustrate what the occupation forces will face wherever they are present,” said a statement attributed to Abu Obeida, spokesman for the armed of Hamas, the Ezzedine al-Qassam Brigades, while urging the Israeli public to “force its leaders to end the war of extermination or prepare to receive more of its sons in coffins”.
The deaths bring to 429 the number of Israeli soldiers killed in Gaza since the start of the ground offensive in late October 2023, according to Agence France-Presse.
Ultra-Orthodox conscription threatens Netanyahu’s coalition
The army was short around 10,000 soldiers, he added, including about 6,000 in combat roles, adding that “tens of thousands more notices will be issued in the upcoming draft cycle”.
The European Council on Foreign Relations think tank describes the group a “criminal gang operating in the Rafah area that is widely accused of looting aid trucks”.
Eid marked by humanitarian disaster
Food shortages have made it all but impossible for many Gazans to celebrate Eid al-Adha, which fell on Friday and is traditionally marked with huge family meals and gifts of new clothes.
Internally displaced Palestinians perform Eid al-Adha prayers in the ruins of a destroyed mosque in the southern Gaza Strip. Source: EPA / Haitham Imad / EPA / AAP
Suad al-Qarra told Agence France-Presse from Nasser Hospital on Friday that her son never got a chance to wear his new clothes.
Hamas’ unprecedented 2023 attack on Israel resulted in the deaths of 1,218 people, mostly civilians, according to an AFP tally based on official figures.
