Eight Israeli soldiers killed in Gaza in deadliest attack on forces in months, say IDF
Eight Israeli soldiers have been killed in southern Gaza, the Israel Defense Forces has said.
Preliminary findings suggested an armoured vehicle carrying soldiers hit an explosion in the early hours of Saturday in the northwestern part of Tal al-Sultan, where there has been some of the fiercest fighting of recent days.
The incident, which is still under review, is one of the deadliest involving Israeli troops since Hamas' assault on October 7.
The military said the explosion was caused either by an explosive placed by Hamas or by an anti-tank missile.
“We need to defeat the Rafah Brigade of Hamas and we are doing this with determination,” DF spokesperson Daniel Hagari told a press conference on Saturday said.
“According to the information we have at this point one of the engineering vehicles in the convoy was involved in an explosion that was apparently caused by explosive devices planted in the area or as a result of anti-tank missile fire,” IDF spokesperson Daniel Hagari told a press conference on Saturday," he said.
In January, 21 Israeli troops were killed in a single attack by Palestinian militants in Gaza.
Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu, said the deaths were a “heartbreaking price” to a pay for defence of Israel.
“Today we paid another heartbreaking price in our just war for the defence of the homeland,” Netanyahu said Saturday. "With deep sorrow, in heavy mourning, I bow my head together with all the citizens of Israel and mourn the fall of our heroic warriors."
Israel launched an air and ground invasion of Gaza in response to the attack by Hamas and other militants that killed some 1,200 people and took 250 others hostage.
The Israeli offensive has killed over 37,000 Palestinians, according to local health officials, who do not differentiate between civilians and combatants.
After eight months of fighting, 80% of the population in Gaza has been displaced and Israeli border restrictions and ongoing fighting have hindered efforts to bring in humanitarian aid, fueling widespread hunger.
Earlier, Al Qassam Brigades, the military wing of Hamas, said it had “carried out a complex ambush against enemy vehicles” operating in Tal al-Sultan.
The militant group said it targeted a military bulldozer, which then caught on fire, killing and wounding the crew. When rescue troops arrived, the militant group then struck an armored personnel carrier, killing the soldiers.
Israel identified one of the dead soldiers as Captain Wassem Mahmoud, Deputy Company Commander in the Engineering Battalion. The other seven victims are yet to be named.
The incident comes as Israel continues its push into Rafah, that Israel has identified as Hamas’ last major stronghold.
Elsewhere, at least 14 people were killed, including seven children, in Israeli strikes on central Gaza, the Civil Defence Directorate in Gaza said.
In total, 30 people have been killed and 95 injured in the Gaza Strip over the past 24 hours, according to the Ministry of Health in Gaza.
The conflict in Gaza began after the Hamas attacks of October 7, which killed around 1,200 people. Since then at least 37,296 people have been killed in Israel’s offensive in Gaza, according to the latest figures from the Ministry of Health in Gaza.
Months of ceasefire negotiations have failed to find common ground between Israeli and Hamas. On Wednesday, US secretary of state Antony Blinken said that Hamas proposed changes to a US-backed plan, some of which he said were “workable” and some not.
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