Fifteen Israeli soldiers were killed amid fierce fighting in Gaza in a series of incidents that have underlined the mounting challenges facing the Israel Defence Forces in their attempts to push further into built-up areas of Gaza. The heaviest loss of life occurred when a “Namer” armoured personnel carrier was hit at about noon on Tuesday by an anti-tank guided missile, killing 11 soldiers and wounding several more. In a separate incident, a number soldiers were killed when their vehicle struck a mine. In another reported incident, two soldiers died when a rocket-propelled grenade hit the building they were in. As the names of the dead soldiers were announced on Wednesday, after families had been informed, Israel’s prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, vowed to press on with the ground offensive in Gaza. “We are in a difficult war. It will also be a long war. We have important achievements, but also painful losses,” Netanyahu said in a statement released by his office on Wednesday evening. The latest fatalities bring to 320 the number of IDF soldiers who have been killed since Hamas launched its surprise assault on Israel on 7 October, with most being killed in fighting with Hamas on 7 October and the immediate days following. The mounting losses for Tuesday emerged piecemeal as it was disclosed that several more soldiers who had been badly injured had died from their wounds. The conflict in Gaza follows the killing by Hamas of 1,400 Israelis and other nationals in a surprise attack on southern Israel on 7 October, with the Hamas-run health ministry in Gaza saying 8,796 people have been killed, two-thirds of them women and children. Among the Israeli soldiers killed on Tuesday was Cpl Asif Luger, 21, who had told his father not to worry about him. “Asif knew I was afraid before they entered Gaza and told me, ‘Dad, don’t worry. I have no intention of dying’. That was the last time I spoke to him,” his father, Idan, said. Another of those confirmed dead, according to reports in the Israeli media, was Sgt Adi Danan, a 20-year-old platoon commander. “Before he left for the battalion, he hugged me tightly. When we separated he said ‘I love you, I’ll be back’ and he didn’t come back,” said his twin sister, Linoy. Also among those killed was Pedayah Mark, 22, whose father was killed in a shooting attack on the West Bank in which Pedayah was also injured. As Israel’s major ground operation was launched against Hamas in Gaza over the weekend, Israel’s political and military leaders – including Netnayhau – told the Israeli public to expect a “long and difficult” conflict. Tuesday’s losses appear to confirm the fears of analysts and military planners of the challenges Israeli forces are likely to face as they push into heavily built-up areas of Gaza, including Gaza City and the northern cites of Beit Lahia and Beit Hanoun from outlying rural areas, where it is easier for tanks and infantry to operate. Senior Israeli military officials have long been aware of the risks posed to its armour by anti-tank guided missiles, not least Russian-produced portable Kornet missiles, as well as anti-tank mines in urban fighting in heavily built-up areas. Commenting on the losses on Wednesday morning, Israel’s defence minister, Yoav Gallant, said on X – formerly Twitter: “The loss of IDF soldiers in battles with Hamas terrorists in Gaza is a severe and painful blow. Our significant achievements in the powerful fighting deep in the strip are taking, to our sorrow, a heavy toll.”