Israeli Losses Grow In Gaza, West Bank

Israel’s continued war on the Gaza Strip is causing much escalation in the occupied West Bank, with Israeli losses mounting in both Palestinian regions.

On June 27, an Israeli soldier who served as a sniper squad commander in the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) Kfir Brigade’s Haruv reconnaissance unit was killed and 16 other troops were wounded while conducting an operation in the Jenin refugee camp in the northern West Bank.

The troops were targeted by two large explosive devices, which were buried deep under a road. A Panther armored personnel carrier (APC) was also badly damaged in the well-planned attack, which was claimed by the Palestinian Islamic Jihad.

On the same day, a soldier from the Nahal Brigade’s 931st Battalion was killed in a Hamas sniper attack in the area of Rafah in southern Gaza.

And on June 28, two other IDF soldiers, one from the Paratroopers Brigade’s 890th Battalion and another from the 7th Armored Brigade’s 77th Battalion, were killed in separate attacks in Gaza City’s Shejaiya area in the northern part of the Strip.

On July 1, another Israeli soldier from the Nahal Brigade’s 931st Battalion was killed as a result of an attack in Rafah.

Two other soldiers from the 8th Reserve Armored Brigade’s 121st Battalion were killed as a result of an attack in central Gaza on the same day.

Also on July 1, another attack with an explosive device, this time in the West Bank’s Nur Shams refugee camp, killed an IDF soldier and wounded another. A Panther APC was also badly damaged in the attack, which was again claimed by the Palestinian Islamic Jihad.

The latest deaths in Gaza brought the number of Israeli troops slain during ground operations there to 322, with more than 1,900 others wounded. Recent Hebrew reports also revealed that more than 500 IDF armored vehicles were damaged in the Strip, with some permanently placed out of service.

During the same period, the IDF and security forces lost eight soldiers and two police officers while operating in the West Bank. More than 40 others have been wounded there, so far.

These losses highlight Israel’s failure in Gaza, and show how the country is compromising its own security in other areas, like the West Bank, by doubling down on military action and abandoning all political solutions.

In Gaza, Israel has so far killed more than 37,000 Palestinains. Meanwhile in the West Bank, the death toll has already exceeded 500 during the same period. Most of the victims were women and children. This is clearly encouraging more Palestinians to take up arms against Israel, not only in Gaza, but also in the occupied Palestinian territory including the West Bank.

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