<div><b><span style="font-size: 1rem;">Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said today that the war in Gaza was exacting a “very heavy price” as the toll of Israeli soldiers killed in fighting with Hamas mounted.</span><br></b></div><div><br></div><div>“This is a difficult morning, after a very difficult day of fighting in Gaza … The war is exacting a very heavy price … but we have no choice but to keep fighting,” he said in a statement, after the army announced 14 soldiers had been killed in the Palestinian territory since Friday.</div><div><br></div><div>“We are continuing with full force until the end, until victory, until we achieve all of our goals: the destruction of Hamas, the return of our hostages and ensuring that Gaza will never again constitute a threat to the state of Israel,” Netanyahu said.</div><div><br></div><div>Since Israel’s ground assault began on Oct 27, the military has lost 153 soldiers in the Palestinian territory, including 10 yesterday, making it one of the deadliest days for the army. - AFP&nbsp;</div><div><br></div><div>bnbd24/fas</div>