Jerusalem CNN –
Twenty-four Israeli soldiers were killed in fighting in the southern Gaza Strip on Monday, the military said. It was the deadliest day for his troops in the battered enclave since the war with Hamas began.
In one incident, 21 soldiers were killed “in the destruction of structures and terrorist infrastructure,” an IDF statement said, when a rocket-propelled grenade (RPG) was fired at a tank protecting the unit.
According to the IDF, two two-story buildings collapsed after an explosion likely caused by explosive devices planted by Israeli troops.
Israeli media reported that two soldiers in the tank were killed. Most of the Israeli forces killed were in or near the buildings, IDF spokesman Rear Admiral Daniel Hagari said in a separate televised statement.
The IDF said separately on Monday that a captain and two majors were killed, all in southern Gaza.
On Monday, the Hamas-controlled Health Ministry in Gaza said the number of Palestinians killed in Israeli strikes in Gaza since October 7 had risen to 25,295, with at least 63,000 injuries recorded.
The tank attack came as Israel appeared to be moving into a new phase of fighting in the embattled enclave, with the IDF withdrawing some soldiers from Gaza and officials promising a less intense, more targeted approach.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, facing increasing political pressure on several fronts, said the soldiers' deaths were “one of the most difficult days since the outbreak of war.”
“I mourn our fallen heroic soldiers. I hug the families in their distress and we all pray for the peace of our wounded.” Netanyahu said the IDF had opened an investigation into the incident.
02:49 – Source: CNN
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The IDF spokesman told CNN on Tuesday that it was “still not clear” what caused the building explosion.
All families have been notified, but only 10 names have been released so far, he said.
Another soldier was seriously injured in the same incident, Hagari added.
The Israeli military's large-scale bombing campaign in Gaza has been ongoing since the October 7 assassination and kidnapping attack by Hamas militants that killed about 1,200 people in Israel and took more than 250 hostage, of whom more than 130 were still alive on Wednesday Live in captivity or are dead.
The deadly incident brings to 219 the number of Israeli soldiers killed in Gaza since operations there began.
The deadliest day for IDF soldiers in Gaza since the conflict began was October 31, when 16 Israeli soldiers died. The deadliest incident to date also occurred that day, with 11 soldiers in an armored personnel carrier killed.
In recent weeks, the Israeli military's focus has been in the south of the Gaza Strip, where there has been heavy fighting around the town of Khan Younis.
The IDF said on Tuesday that the city was now surrounded, while the Hamas-controlled health ministry said nearly 200 people had been killed in the past day.
In a statement on Tuesday, the IDF said “dozens of terrorists” had been killed in the past 24 hours by IDF ground forces in coordination with the Israeli Air Force.
“Last day, IDF troops conducted an extensive operation, surrounding Khan Younis and deepening the operation in the area. “The area is a significant stronghold of the Hamas Khan Younis Brigade,” the IDF said.
02:01 – Source: CNN
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A source familiar with the matter told CNN on Monday that a major Israeli military offensive in western Khan Younis was expected to continue for several more days. The source said Israeli troops had encircled the Khan Younis refugee camp and were conducting raids to try to destroy Hamas's military capabilities in the area.
Medical facilities in the city were damaged during an Israeli attack in the area on Monday, Palestinian health authorities said, as the number of people killed in Israel's siege of the Gaza Strip continues to rise.
On Monday, the Hamas-controlled Health Ministry said Nasser Hospital was receiving more patients with serious injuries than it could handle and that intensive care units had reached capacity.
This month, Israeli officials said the military would move into a new, less intensive phase of operations in the Gaza Strip, but the humanitarian crisis in the enclave continues to worsen.
But Netanyahu faces increasing pressure over both the current state of the conflict and what Gaza will look like after the fighting ends.
The Israeli prime minister is being pushed by the international community – including the US, Israel's main ally – to allow the creation of a viable Palestinian state. Domestically, he is under pressure, particularly from right-wing extremist members of his coalition, to ensure Israel's security.
He is also facing increasing criticism within Israel for his failure to secure the release of all hostages captured by Hamas during its Oct. 7 attack.
Israel has offered Hamas a two-month ceasefire as part of a possible hostage deal, Axios reported Monday, citing two unnamed Israeli officials. Israeli officials are optimistic about Hamas's response to the proposed deal, CNN foreign policy analyst Barak Ravid told CNN on Monday.
Tim Lister contributed to this report.
Correction: An earlier version of this story incorrectly stated the date of the previous deadliest day of war for Israeli soldiers. It was on October 31, 2023.