The Israeli newspaper Jerusalem Post quoted Yair Zuckerman, commander of the Nahal Brigade, who described the challenging conditions in Rafah, in southern Gaza.
At least 12 Israeli soldiers have been injured in the past 24 hours, including five in ground battles in the Gaza Strip, the Israeli army reported on Wednesday.
“The number of injured soldiers and officers since the beginning of the war in Gaza on Oct. 7, 2023, has risen to 3,860,” the army stated on its website.
Of these, 1,947 were wounded in ground clashes in the Palestinian enclave.
The number of Israeli soldiers and officers killed in Gaza since October 7 has been updated to 662, including 311 since the start of ground fighting on October 27, according to the army.
Conflicting Report on Weapon Shipment to Israel – What We Know So Far
Challenges in Rafah
The Israeli newspaper Jerusalem Post quoted Yair Zuckerman, commander of the Nahal Brigade, who described the challenging conditions in Rafah, in southern Gaza.
According to Zuckerman, the tunnels there create a large maze and connect neighborhoods through wall openings.
Zuckerman highlighted the slow progress and exhausting battles the Israeli forces are facing.
Saraya al Quds & Qassam joint op: Yassin strike with a thermobaric warhead vs IDF troop position in a building in Yibna, Rafah. [Qassam Brigades 9/6] pic.twitter.com/uEQKFXwn01
— Jon Elmer (@jonelmer) June 10, 2024
The Israeli official explained that Hamas is using many cameras in Rafah to manage battles from above and below ground.
He also mentioned the challenge of booby-trapped houses and rooms, citing a recent incident where four Israeli soldiers were killed by an explosion in a seemingly empty house.
Since May 6, the Israeli army has launched a ground attack on Rafah, resulting in the displacement of over a million Palestinians under dire humanitarian conditions.
Ongoing Genocide
Currently on trial before the International Court of Justice for genocide against Palestinians, Israel has been waging a devastating war on Gaza since October 7.
According to Gaza’s Ministry of Health, 37,396 Palestinians have been killed, and 85,523 wounded in Israel’s ongoing genocide in Gaza starting on October 7.
Moreover, at least 7,000 people are unaccounted for, presumed dead under the rubble of their homes throughout the Strip.
Palestinian and international organizations say that the majority of those killed and wounded are women and children.
Rising Death Toll in Gaza – Israel Targets Civilian, Displaced Persons’ Tents
The Israeli war has resulted in an acute famine, mostly in northern Gaza, resulting in the death of many Palestinians, mostly children.
The Israeli aggression has also resulted in the forceful displacement of nearly two million people from all over the Gaza Strip, with the vast majority of the displaced forced into the densely crowded southern city of Rafah near the border with Egypt – in what has become Palestine’s largest mass exodus since the 1948 Nakba.
Israel says that 1,200 soldiers and civilians were killed during the Al-Aqsa Flood Operation on October 7. Israeli media published reports suggesting that many Israelis were killed on that day by ‘friendly fire’.
(PC, AJA)
