Gaza strip: Three more Israeli soldiers, including a platoon commander and a cyberwarfare officer, were seriously wounded in separate battles across the Gaza Strip, the Israeli military said Tuesday.
According to Anadolu Agency, a military statement revealed that the platoon commander and a combat engineer sustained injuries from an explosive device that detonated in the southern city of Rafah.
A third soldier, identified as a cyber operations officer with the Golani Brigade, was seriously wounded in a separate clash in central Gaza, the statement added. The officer was evacuated to a hospital, and his family was notified of the situation.
Hamas' armed wing, the Qassam Brigades, reported early Tuesday that its fighters had targeted a Merkava tank in the southeast of Deir al-Balah in central Gaza. The group noted that an Israeli helicopter landed at the site, suggesting that casualties were evacuated.
Despite more than 21 months since the start of the genocidal war on Gaza in October 2023, Palestinian resistance factions continue to conduct well-planned ambushes in the area. These actions inflict casualties on Israeli forces, highlighting Tel Aviv's struggles to achieve its war objectives.
Israel maintains strict censorship on reporting its military losses in Gaza and has not published an updated toll for its dead and wounded, prompting speculation that actual figures may be significantly higher. According to Israeli military figures, at least 895 Israeli soldiers have been killed and 6,112 injured since the start of the Gaza war.
Israel has killed more than 59,100 Palestinians, most of them women and children, in the Gaza Strip since October 2023. The military campaign has devastated the enclave, collapsing the health system, and resulting in severe food shortages.
Last November, the International Criminal Court issued arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant for war crimes and crimes against humanity in Gaza. Additionally, Israel faces a genocide case at the International Court of Justice for its war on the enclave.