The number of Israeli soldiers lost in the conflict with Hamas continued to rise, prompting Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to declare on Sunday that the war in Gaza was costing a “very heavy price.”
“After a very difficult day of fighting in Gaza, this is a difficult morning,” he remarked as the army declared that 14 soldiers had died in the Palestinian territory since Friday.
The army reported that another soldier had died on Sunday, bringing the total number of soldiers killed since Friday to 15, and since Israel’s offensive assault started on October 27, to 154.
“The war is exacting a very heavy price… but we have no choice but to keep fighting,” Netanyahu said in a statement.
“We are continuing with full force until the end, until victory, until we achieve all of our goals: the destruction of Hamas, the return of our hostages and ensuring that Gaza will never again constitute a threat to the State of Israel.”
He added: “This will be a long war… (until) Hamas is eliminated and we restore security.”
Later on Sunday, in a new statement, Netanyahu vowed to protect the lives of soldiers.
“We are intensifying the war in the Gaza Strip,” he said. “We will do everything to safeguard the lives of our soldiers. However… we will not stop until we achieve victory.”
The military lost 10 soldiers in Gaza on Saturday, making it one of the deadliest days for Israeli troops since fighting began on October 7, triggered by a deadly Hamas attack on southern Israel.
Israeli forces also face Hezbollah militants across its northern border with Lebanon.