The Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) have reported the deaths of 57 soldiers during clashes with Hamas. The names and ages of the fallen soldiers have been published on the IDF website. Most of the casualties were between the ages of 19 and 25. Prior to this, the IDF had announced the destruction of over 550 Hamas targets. On October 7th, Hamas launched several thousand rockets into Israeli territory, declaring the start of the “Flood of Al-Aqsa” operation. In response, Israel’s Minister of National Security, Itamar Ben-Gvir, declared a state of emergency across the country. Israeli Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, stated that the nation is in a state of war. The IDF operation against Hamas has been named “Iron Swords”. In retaliation to the attacks, the Israeli Air Force struck 21 Hamas targets in the Gaza Strip. Earlier, Israel’s Defense Minister, Yoav Galant, promised a “unprecedented response” that would be remembered in Gaza for 50 years.
