Fighting Hamas in Gaza is costing Netanyahu dearly, Israeli soldiers dying
At least 13 Israeli soldiers were killed in clashes that took place on Friday and Saturday in the Gaza Strip. The Israeli army gave this information on Sunday. It is the highest death toll among Israeli soldiers since the Israeli ground offensive began in late October and a sign that Hamas is still fighting despite weeks of fierce fighting. However, rising figures of Israeli military deaths are likely to become a significant factor in Israeli public support for the war.
On October 7, Hamas-led terrorists targeted civilians in southern Israel, killing 1,200 people and taking 240 hostage. The war has devastated parts of the Gaza Strip, killing more than 20,000 Palestinians and displacing about 85 percent of Gaza’s population of 2.3 million.
Israel is still firmly committed to achieving its stated goals of crushing Hamas’ regime and military capabilities and releasing the remaining 129 prisoners. This support has remained largely stable despite growing international pressure against Israel’s attacks and despite Palestinians being killed and facing unprecedented hardships.
The increasing number of deaths of soldiers could weaken that support. The death of soldiers is a sensitive and emotional topic in Israel, a country with a Jewish majority and compulsory military service. Thirteen Israeli soldiers were killed in fighting in central and southern Gaza on Friday and Saturday, a sign of how Hamas is still putting up stiff resistance against advancing Israeli troops, even as Israel claims it has defeated the terrorist group. Has been dealt a serious blow.
The number of Israeli soldiers killed since the start of the ground offensive has reached 152. Thousands of people demonstrated in Tel Aviv in heavy rain on Saturday night, chanting ‘Bibi, Bibi, we don’t want you anymore’ while calling Netanyahu by his nickname. Netanyahu refused to take responsibility for military and policy failures and said he would answer difficult questions after the fighting was over.
On Saturday, Israeli military spokesman Rear Admiral Daniel Hagari said the army was expanding its offensive into northern and southern Gaza and troops were fighting in “complex areas” in Khan Yunis, Gaza’s second-largest city. Israel believes that Hamas leaders are hiding here.
The Palestinian Red Crescent said Sunday morning that a 13-year-old boy was shot dead in an Israeli drone strike inside the building of the al-Amal hospital it runs in Khan Yunis. The Palestinian Red Crescent did not provide any further details.
The number of casualties has increased on both Israel and Palestine. At the same time, the United Nations Security Council has passed a resolution regarding early supply of humanitarian aid to the Palestinians and the release of all hostages. However, there is no mention of ceasefire in the proposal.
Following the UN resolution, it was not immediately clear how and when aid distribution would accelerate. The United Nations said fewer than 100 trucks entered Friday, down from the pre-war daily average of 500.
