The death toll of Israeli soldiers in Gaza rises to 598

AFP / Zain Jaafar

Israeli army acknowledged the killing of an officer and the wounding of 16 others in the ongoing battles in the southern Gaza Strip, bringing the death toll to 598 since the start of the war in October.

The Israeli army said that Staff Sergeant Alon Kudryashov, 21 years old from the Egoz commando unit, was killed in battles in southern Gaza, bringing the number of his dead since the beginning of the ground attack on Gaza on the twenty-seventh of the same month to 254 officers and soldiers.

The Israeli army explained that the dead soldier was with another group of soldiers from the Egoz unit on a mission near Nasser Hospital in Khan Yunis and that he was killed when Hamas members fired an RPG missile at the building they were in and that he was mortally wounded. He died as a result.

The Israeli army added that 16 soldiers were injured, including 6 in critical condition.

Thus, the number of Israeli army casualties since the beginning of the war has risen to 3,165 officers and soldiers.

More from International

  • UK inquiry finds 'chilling' cover-up of infected blood scandal

    An infected blood scandal in Britain was no accident but the fault of doctors and a succession of governments that led to 3,000 deaths and thousands more contracting hepatitis or HIV, a public inquiry has found.

  • Iranian President Raisi killed in helicopter accident, state media says

    Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi, seen as a potential successor to Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, was killed in a helicopter crash in mountainous terrain near the Azerbaijan border, officials and state media said on Monday.

  • ICC prosecutor seeks arrest warrants for Israeli, Hamas leaders

    The International Criminal Court prosecutor's office said on Monday it had requested arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, his defence chief and three Hamas leaders for alleged war crimes.

  • Assange given permission to appeal against US extradition

    WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange was given permission to have a full appeal over his extradition to the United States after arguing at London's High Court on Monday he might not be able to rely on his right to free speech at a trial.

  • Israel intends to broaden Rafah sweep, Defence Minister tells US

    Israel intends to broaden its military operation in Rafah, Defence Minister Yoav Gallant on Monday told a senior aide to US President Joe Biden, who has warned against major action in the southern Gazan city that may risk mass civilian casualties. Israel describes Rafah, which abuts the Gaza Strip's border with the Egyptian Sinai, as the last stronghold of Hamas Islamists whose governing and combat capabilities it has been trying to dismantle during the more than seven-month-old war. After weeks of public disagreements with Washington over the Rafah planning, Israel on May 6 ordered Pale