Son of Israeli minister killed in Gaza battles -statement

Son of Israeli minister killed in Gaza battles -statement

The son of Israeli cabinet minister and former military chief Gadi Eizenkot was killed in fighting in the Gaza Strip, Benny Gantz, leader of the National Unity Party, said on Thursday.

Party members Eizenkot and Gantz, also a former army chief, joined Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's government shortly after Hamas' deadly Oct. 7 attack which prompted an Israeli air, ground and sea offensive in the Palestinian Gaza Strip.

The Israeli military did not provide precise details about the death of Gal Meir Eisenkot, 25, other than to say he was killed in combat in the northern Gaza Strip.

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"Together with all of Israel I send my support to Gadi and to his entire family, and a big hug. We are all committed to keep fighting for the sacred cause for which Gal died," Gantz said in a statement.

In a condolence message, Netanyahu said he was heartbroken.

Israel has vowed to annihilate the Palestinian Islamist militant group Hamas after its fighters killed 1,200 people in Israel and dragged 240 more back to Gaza as hostages, according to an Israeli tally.

More than 17,000 Palestinians have been killed in Gaza since Oct. 7, according to the Health Ministry there, and around 1.9 million people, 85% of the population, have been displaced.

Hamas, designated as a terrorist group by the United States and other Western countries, is sworn to Israel's destruction.