Number of Israeli soldiers killed since March rises to 41, according to Israeli media
The Israeli army announced Friday the death of a unit commander from the Golani Brigade during combat in Khan Younis, southern Gaza.
In an official statement, the army identified the soldier as Capt. Reei Biran, 21, who served as a team commander in the elite unit.
The army said Biran was killed Thursday in combat operations in southern Gaza.
The announcement comes two days after the army confirmed the death of First Sergeant Abraham Azulay, a reservist and military engineer, also killed during clashes in Khan Younis.
While the army did not provide further details about the nature of Thursday's operation or whether there were additional casualties, Israeli newspaper Yedioth Ahronoth said the incident occurred during a Golani Brigade demolition mission in Khan Younis.
According to the daily, an explosion near one of the targeted buildings led to Biran's death.
Since the end of the most recent ceasefire in March, 41 Israeli soldiers have been killed in Gaza, raising the total number of Israeli military deaths since the war began on Oct. 7, 2023, to 890, including 448 killed during ground operations, the report added.
The armed wing of Hamas, Al-Qassam Brigades, claimed responsibility for Azulay's death earlier this week. The group, however, did not immediately issue a statement on Biran's death.
Rejecting international calls for a ceasefire, the Israeli army has pursued a brutal offensive on the Gaza Strip since Oct. 7, 2023, killing nearly 57,800 Palestinians so far, most of them women and children. The relentless bombardment has destroyed the enclave and led to food shortages and spread of disease.
Last November, the International Criminal Court issued arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant for war crimes and crimes against humanity in Gaza.
Israel also faces a genocide case at the International Court of Justice for its war on the enclave.
