Seven Israeli soldiers killed in Gaza by Hamas bomb
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The news: Seven Israeli soldiers were killed in the southern Gaza city of Khan Younis after an explosive device was planted on an armoured vehicle, causing it to catch fire, the Israeli military said. Hamas claimed responsibility for the attack.
The soldiers were part of the 605th combat engineering battalion, which had been locating and demolishing tunnels and killing militants, General Effie Defrin, the army’s chief spokesman said.
Rescue helicopters and forces were sent but “made attempts to rescue the fighters, but without success,” he added.
Another Israeli soldier was seriously wounded in a separate incident in Khan Younis, the army said. Hamas claimed through its Telegram channel that it had ambushed Israeli soldiers taking cover inside a residential building in the area.
The context: The deaths of the seven soldiers marked one of the deadliest incidents for the Israeli army in Gaza in months and brought the total number of Israeli soldiers killed in Gaza since 7 October 2023 to 879, according to a tally by the IDF.
It comes as at least 40 Palestinians seeking aid were shot by Israeli forces on Tuesday, local medics and officials said, amid ongoing chaos at food distribution sites run by the US- and Israel-backed Gaza Humanitarian Foundation.
The Gaza health ministry says more than 56,000 Palestinians have been killed since the conflict started, more than half women and children.
The sources: IDF statement, The New York Times
