JERUSALEM (AP) — Palestinian militants carried out the deadliest single attack on Israeli forces since the Hamas attack that sparked the war, killing 21 soldiers, the military said Tuesday, a significant setback that adds to growing calls for a could contribute to a ceasefire.
Hours later, the military announced that ground troops had surrounded the southern town of Khan Younis, Gaza's second-largest city. That represented a major step forward, but it was unclear how much closer it would bring Israel to defeating Hamas or freeing Israeli hostages – two key war goals that have proven increasingly difficult – as ceasefire talks appear to be gaining momentum.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu mourned the soldiers who died when the explosion of a rocket-propelled grenade triggered explosives they were planting. But he vowed to press on until “absolute victory,” even as Israelis are increasingly divided over whether it is possible to dismantle Hamas and release scores of prisoners.
A senior Egyptian official said Israel had proposed a two-month ceasefire in which the hostages would be released in exchange for the release of Palestinians detained by Israel and senior Hamas leaders in Gaza would be allowed to relocate to other countries.
The official, who was not authorized to brief the media and spoke on condition of anonymity, said Hamas rejected the proposal and insisted no more hostages would be released until Israel ends its offensive and withdraws from Gaza . The Israeli government declined to comment on the talks.
Egypt and Qatar – which have negotiated deals between Israel and Hamas in the past – developed a multi-stage proposal to try to close the gaps, the official said. Families of the hostages called on Israel to reach an agreement with Hamas, saying time was running out to bring their loved ones home alive.
Israel launched its offensive after Hamas crossed the border on October 7, killing over 1,200 people and kidnapping about 250 others. More than 100 people were released during a week-long ceasefire in November.
The offensive has caused widespread death and destruction, displacing an estimated 85% of Gaza's 2.3 million people and leaving a quarter at risk of starvation. Iran-backed groups in Lebanon, Syria, Iraq and Yemen have now attacked US and Israeli targets in support of the Palestinians.
The US and Britain launched another wave of attacks on Monday against Yemen's Houthi rebels, who have attacked international ships in the Red Sea. The Lebanese Hezbollah group said it fired rockets at a strategic military facility in northern Israel for the second time this month.
“ONE OF THE HARDEST DAYS” FOR ISRAEL
Israeli reservists were preparing explosives to demolish two buildings near the established Maghazi refugee camp and the Israeli border on Monday when a militant fired a rocket-propelled grenade at a tank nearby. The explosion triggered the explosives, causing both two-story buildings to collapse on top of the soldiers.
The military says at least 217 soldiers have been killed since the ground offensive began in late October, including three in a separate incident on Monday.
Netanyahu acknowledged on social media that it was “one of the hardest days” of the war but vowed to continue the offensive.
“We are in the middle of a war that is more than justified. “In this war we achieve great successes, such as the encirclement of Khan Younis, and there are also very heavy losses,” he later said in a video statement.
Gaza's Health Ministry said on Tuesday that the bodies of 195 people killed in Israeli strikes had been taken to hospitals in the last 24 hours. Hospitals also admitted 354 injured people, it said.
The deaths brought the death toll in the Strip since the start of the war to 25,490, the ministry said. Another 63,354 were injured, it said. The department's count does not distinguish between civilians and combatants.
HEAVY FIGHTING IN KHAN YOUNIS
Israel claims to have killed thousands of militants and largely defeated Hamas in northern Gaza in operations that caused widespread destruction in this part of the territory, including Gaza City. In recent weeks, the offensive has focused on Khan Younis and refugee camps in the central Gaza Strip, including Maghazi, which date back to the 1948 war over the creation of Israel.
The military said its troops had killed dozens of militants in Khan Younis and encircled the city in recent days, without providing evidence. It was not possible to independently confirm these claims.
Raed al-Nems, a spokesman for the Palestinian Red Crescent emergency service, said there was heavy fighting around the city's Al-Amal hospital. He said a shell hit the fourth floor, killing one person and wounding 10 others. Medical teams were unable to enter or leave the hospital, and a nationwide communications blackout further complicated rescue efforts, he said.
Thousands of people fled Khan Younis on Tuesday, some on foot and carrying only what they could carry. Thick, black smoke could be seen over the city.
“We heard heavy shelling and couldn't sleep all night because we were so afraid,” said Ibtisam Abu Jommaiza as she left the city.
Israel believes Hamas commanders may be hiding in vast tunnel complexes beneath Khan Younis, the hometown of the group's supreme leader in Gaza, Yehya Sinwar, whose whereabouts are unknown. Hamas leaders are also believed to be using hostages as human shields, further complicating any rescue efforts.
Pressure for a ceasefire
The growing death toll and dire humanitarian situation have led to increasing international pressure on Israel to scale back the offensive and agree to a path to creating a post-war Palestinian state. The United States, which provided critical military assistance to the offensive, has joined these demands.
But Netanyahu, whose popularity has plummeted since October 7 and whose ruling coalition is beholden to far-right parties, has rejected both demands.
Instead, he said Israel must expand its operations and eventually take over the Gaza side of the border with Egypt – an area where hundreds of thousands of Palestinians who have fled other areas are crammed into overcrowded UN shelters and sprawling tent camps.
This sparked an angry protest from the Egyptian government, which rejected Israeli allegations that Hamas was smuggling weapons across the heavily guarded border.
Diaa Rashwan, head of Egypt's state information service, said on Monday that any Israeli attempt to occupy the border area would “lead to a serious threat” to relations between the two countries, which signed a landmark peace treaty over four decades ago. Egypt is also deeply concerned about a possible influx of Palestinian refugees into the Sinai Peninsula.
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This story has been updated to correct that the attack on Israeli soldiers occurred near Maghazi, not in Maghazi.
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Magdy reported from Cairo and Jobain from Rafah in the Gaza Strip. Associated Press writer Melanie Lidman in Jerusalem contributed to this report.