Israel marks first anniversary of October 7 attack: Over 700 soldiers killed

Shafaq News/ On Monday, Israel marked the first anniversary of the October 7 attack carried out by the Palestinian Islamic Resistance Movement "Hamas" in 2023, revealing its human losses and stating that over 700 soldiers have been killed since then.

In the Ra'im settlement, a crowd gathered for the ceremony, standing in silence at 3:29 PM GMT, marking the moment the attack on the Gaza Envelope settlements began.

On the first anniversary of the attacks, the Israeli army stated that Israel struck more than 40,000 targets in the Gaza Strip in 2023, discovering 4,700 tunnel openings and destroying 1,000 rocket launch sites.

While Israel often keeps the extent of its losses secret, the Israeli army confirmed that since October 7, 2023, 726 Israeli soldiers have been killed, 380 of whom were killed in the military campaign, and 346 in battles within Gaza, noting that 4,576 soldiers were injured in combat.

Additionally, 56 soldiers were killed due to unspecified incidents during operations, with the army mentioning the conscription of 300,000 reserve soldiers since the beginning of the war, with 82% of the recruits being men and 18% women.

In contrast, statistics announced by the Israeli army indicated, “Since the war began, 13,200 rockets have been launched at Israel from Gaza, 12,400 rockets from Lebanon, 60 rockets from Syria, 180 rockets from Yemen, and 400 rockets from Iran.”

Over the past year, Israel has arrested more than 5,000 individuals in the West Bank and Jordan Valley, whom it claims are suspects, and the army disclosed that it has killed 8 leaders of armed factions from Gaza, around 30 battalion leaders, and 165 company commanders during this period.

What Happened On October 7?

On October 7, Israel launched a major offensive against Gaza in response to a Hamas operation, which followed intensified Israeli actions against Palestinians. According to Israeli reports, about 250 hostages were taken by Hamas. Since then, at least 41,870 people have been killed in Gaza, including over 16,765 children, and more than 97,166 have been injured, with 10,000 missing, according to Al-Jazeera's tracker. Meanwhile, the Prisoner Support and Human Rights Association reported that about 10,000 Palestinians are currently in Israeli jails. Additionally, Defense for Children Palestine highlighted that each year, 500-700 Palestinian children, some as young as 12, are detained and prosecuted in Israeli military courts, with stone-throwing being the most common charge.

The Iran-backed Axis of Resistance, which includes Lebanon's Hezbollah, Iraqi factions, the Houthi group Ansar Allah, and others, pledged to persist in defending Gaza against Israeli aggression.