ERUSALEM (AFP) – Israel suffered one of the deadliest days of its ground offensive against Hezbollah in Lebanon on Wednesday when six of its soldiers were killed in combat near the border.
The soldiers “fell during combat in southern Lebanon”, the army said in a statement. Their deaths mean 47 Israeli troops have been killed in combat with Hezbollah since September 30, when Israel sent ground forces into Lebanon.
The army’s announcement came after new Israeli Defence Minister Israel Katz said there would be no easing up in the war against Hezbollah.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on social media platform X shared an image of the “Golani” Brigade symbol — the unit the soldiers killed belonged to — a green olive tree against a yellow background, with a broken heart emoji.
Since September 23, Israel has stepped up its bombing campaign in Lebanon, mainly targeting Hezbollah strongholds in south Beirut and the east and south of the country. On September 30, it sent in ground troops.
It came after nearly a year of cross-border exchanges of fire, launched by Hezbollah in support of its Palestinian ally Hamas following their October 7, 2023 attack on Israel that triggered the Gaza war.
Israeli air attacks on Gaza have killed at least 20 aid workers in the period between October 10 and November 13, according to charity organisations working in the enclave.
“Staff were killed in their homes, in displacement camps and while delivering life-saving aid,” the groups said in a new report according to Al Jazeera.
“Many aid workers lost close family members and relatives.”
These include four engineers and workers with an Oxfam partner, who were killed on October 19 while on their way to repair water infrastructure in Khuza’a, east of Khan Younis.
“Despite prior coordination with Israeli authorities, their clearly-marked vehicle was attacked,” the report said.
