The Israeli Broadcasting Corporation revealed that 30 Israeli soldiers were infected with a toxic fungus in Gaza (Reuters)
The Israeli Broadcasting Authority reported that two soldiers were killed out of 30 who were infected with a toxic fungus during the war on the Gaza Strip, which has been ongoing for about 5 months.
At the end of last year, Israeli media revealed for the first time that an Israeli soldier had been killed as a result of a fungal infection in the Gaza Strip, and that 10 other wounded soldiers had suffered similar conditions, before the broadcasting authority announced on Tuesday that the death toll had increased.
The Israeli news site Ynet said at the time that the soldier suffered serious injuries to his limbs on the battlefield, and then treatment-resistant fungi appeared on his body.
The website, which is the online version of Yedioth Ahronoth newspaper, added that he was transferred to Assuta Hospital in Ashdod (south), where doctors tried every possible treatment, including experimental treatments from abroad.
He added that the doctors brought in specialists as much as they could, and finally the fungus took over the organs in the injured person's body until his death was determined.
He continued, "The fungus may have originated in soil contaminated with sewage," noting that a number of soldiers returned from the battlefield infected with various fungi and infections.
In mid-December, the Gaza Municipality warned of the danger of areas north of the city being flooded with sewage, as the pumps stopped working due to the running out of fuel, which would cause major environmental and health disasters.
In the same month, Yedioth Ahronoth newspaper revealed that a number of Israeli soldiers participating in the war on the Gaza Strip were suffering from dysentery (inflammation and disorder in the intestines) and poisoning, which causes cases of severe diarrhea and high temperature, and this requires their evacuation from combat sites.
Source: Al Jazeera + Israeli press