13 soldiers killed Sunday in Gaza— Israel army

(AFP) – Thirteen Israeli soldiers were killed in
fighting inside Gaza on Sunday, the army said,
in what was the highest number of troops
killed in combat since 2006.
“Over the course of the day, 13 soldiers from
the IDF’s Golani Brigade were killed in combat
in the Gaza Strip,” an army statement said.
Their deaths raised to 18 the total number of
soldiers killed since Israel began a ground
operation in Gaza late on Thursday, in what
was the highest casualty figure since the 2006
Lebanon war.
Their deaths occurred as troops began an
offensive against the Shejaiya neighbourhood
between Gaza City and the Israeli border,
which on Sunday claimed 62 Palestinian lives
and wounded more than 250, medics said.
“We know that in battle there are casualties,”
Israel’s Chief of Staff Lieutenant General
Benny Gantz said after the news was released.
“The residents of Shejaiya know they have
fallen victim to Hamas,” he said.
“We have no intention of giving up our
determination.”
Several media reports said seven of the
soldiers were killed when their armoured
personnel carrier (APC) was hit by an anti-
tank missile in the early morning.
As troops tried to extract the survivors, three
more were killed by gunfire.
In a second attempt to reach the scene,
another three soldiers were killed by an anti-
tank missile, the reports said.