The Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) have reported a total of 387 casualties since the attack by Palestinian radical group Hamas on October 7th, according to The Jerusalem Post. The army’s press service recently informed about additional losses, with two more soldiers killed in clashes with extremists in the northern Gaza Strip on November 20th. Over the past few weeks, the Israeli army has lost more than 60 servicemen in ground operations against Hamas in the enclave.
The situation in the Middle East has escalated following the infiltration of thousands of Hamas militants from the Gaza Strip into Israeli territory on October 7th, when Hamas announced the start of the “Al-Aqsa Flood” operation. In response, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu declared a state of war in the country.
Israel’s retaliation operation, named “Iron Swords,” aimed to repel the attack, free over 200 hostages (including foreigners), and destroy Hamas. From the first day of the operation, Israel carried out massive rocket bombardments on the Gaza Strip. The Israeli National Security Council also decided to halt the supply of water, food, goods, electricity, and fuel to the enclave. Humanitarian aid deliveries to Gaza only resumed after October 20th through the Rafah border crossing, but their volume is considered insufficient.
On October 27th, Israel announced the “expansion” of the ground operation in Gaza. The exact start date of this operation remains unknown, but prior to it, hundreds of thousands of Palestinians evacuated their homes and sought refuge in shelters or moved to the southern part of the enclave. As of November 5th, fighting continues in the center of Gaza, as IDF forces have surrounded the city and cut off its supply lines.
Earlier, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu vowed to destroy Hamas, and this ongoing conflict signifies Israel’s determination to fulfill that promise.
