9 Israeli soldiers killed in Gaza clashes

JERUSALEM: Nine Israeli soldiers were killed in clashes with Hamas militants in the northern Gaza Strip, the Israeli military said Wednesday.

The military said in a statement that the soldiers were killed on Tuesday, as Israel was expanding its ground offensive in the besieged Palestinian enclave.

Seven were members of the Givati brigade and the other two were from an armored division.

At least 8,525 Palestinians have been killed by Israeli strikes in Gaza since the beginning of the latest Israel-Hamas conflict starting from Oct. 7, according to the Gaza-based Health Ministry.

Meanwhile, the Israeli military said the latest conflict has killed at least 1,400 people in Israel.

-Xinhua