The Israeli military has announced that eight soldiers, including a senior official, were killed fighting Hamas forces in the Gaza Strip.
Lieutenant Colonel Tomer Grinberg, 35, Major Roei Meldasi, 23, Major Moshe Avram Bar-On, 23, Sergeant Achia Daskal, 19, Captain Liel Hayo, 22, Major Ben Shelly, 26, Major Rom Hecht, 20 and Sergeant Oriya Yaakov, 19 died on Tuesday.
The soldiers were killed and another three seriously injured in a battle in the northern Gaza Strip as the war between Israel and Hamas rages into its 67th day.
Seven soldiers died when a bomb detonated in the Shahja'iya neighborhood, marking the worst fatality in a single incident for the Israeli Defense Forces since war broke out on October 7.
At least 112 Israeli soldiers have died since ground operations began in Gaza in late October. According to Gaza's Health Ministry, 18,412 Palestinians have been killed in Israeli attacks since the war began.
The Israeli military has announced that eight soldiers, including a senior official, were killed fighting Hamas forces in the Gaza Strip
Lieutenant Colonel Tomer Grinberg, 35, (left) and Captain Liel Hayo, 22 (right) were among those killed in the northern Gaza Strip on Tuesday.
Major Moshe Avram Bar-On, 23, (left) and Major Roei Meldas, 23, (right) were killed in action
Staff Sergeant Oriya Yaakov, 19, and Sergeant Achia Daskal, 19, died fighting Hamas forces
Major Ben Shelly, 26, and Major Rom Hecht, 20, died in the incident in the Shahja'iya neighborhood
Five of the Israeli soldiers killed in fighting in the northern Gaza Strip were from the Golani Brigade, including Lt. Col. Grinberg, the commander of the 13th Battalion.
Major Meldasi, a company commander in the 13th Battalion, Major Bar-On, a company commander in the 51st Battalion, Sergeant Daskal, a fighter in the 51st Battalion, and Captain Hayo, a platoon leader in the 51st Battalion, were also killed.
Major Shelly and Major Rom Hecht of the Special Rescue Tactical Unit (669) died in the same battle in the Shahja'iya neighborhood.
The IDF also announced that Sergeant Yaakov, a fighter from Battalion 614, School of Combat Engineering, lost his life in the northern Gaza Strip.
Hamas militants opened fire on Golani forces in the area on Tuesday before Israeli soldiers approached the scene of the shooting.
Then a bomb exploded, several soldiers were injured by the explosion and contact was lost.
Other Israeli forces tried to rescue the soldiers with the help of air force and artillery, but a second bomb exploded.
A third force attempted to locate the separated soldiers injured in the battle.
This came after the IDF announced on Tuesday that at least 105 Israeli soldiers had died since its ground offensive in the Gaza Strip began in late October.
At least 20 of these were caused by accidents, 13 of which were caused by friendly fire or internal fire from friendly troops.
Another six died in accidents related to “guns, machines, trampling,” and one death was due to irregularities in shooting.
According to the Times of Israel, soldiers killed by friendly fire were misidentified in airstrikes or died in tank fire and gunfire.
One soldier reportedly died from shots fired that were not aimed at himself and two others died from accidental misses.
The soldiers were killed and another three seriously injured in a battle in the northern Gaza Strip as the war between Israel and Hamas rages into its 67th day
Seven soldiers died when a bomb detonated in the Shahja'iya neighborhood, marking the worst fatality in a single incident for the Israeli Defense Forces since war broke out on October 7
According to Gaza's Health Ministry, 18,412 Palestinians have been killed in Israeli attacks since the war began
At least 112 Israeli soldiers have died since ground operations began in Gaza in late October
Two soldiers died in incidents after armored vehicles ran over troops and two others were killed by shrapnel.
The Israeli military has begun pumping seawater into Hamas' network of tunnels in the Gaza Strip to drive the terrorists from their underground hideout, according to a report.
Israel is said to have installed at least five pumps about a mile from the Al-Shati refugee camp in the north of the coastal enclave that could move thousands of cubic meters of water per hour and flood 300 miles of tunnels.
According to a Wall Street Journal report, U.S. officials have now announced the operation has begun, with the Biden administration telling it will last weeks.
Asked about the report, Israel Defense Forces Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Herzi Halevi appeared to confirm the news, saying at a news conference that using water pumps to disable tunnels was a “good idea.”
But it comes amid fears that Hamas is harboring Israeli hostages in the labyrinth of corridors and that the tactic could prove deadly for those trapped inside, as families continue to pressure the government to bring them home before it is too late.
The IDF announced Tuesday that it had recovered the bodies of two Israelis taken hostage on Oct. 7: 27-year-old Eden Zacharia, who was kidnapped from Nova Festival, and army commander Ziv Dado, 36.
Army spokesman Daniel Hagari said there were 135 hostages still in Gaza whose families were working tirelessly to ensure they were brought home immediately.
In images released by the IDF last week, dozens of Israeli soldiers appear to be seen building a series of black pipes on Gaza's sandy beaches, apparently to pump water from the Mediterranean.
Videos shared by Israeli media also appear to show IDF soldiers working on the pipes underground.
“We see a lot of underground infrastructure in Gaza, we knew there would be a lot.” “Part of the goal is to destroy that infrastructure,” Lt. Gen. Halevi said Tuesday.
“We have different options [to deal with the tunnels]. I won't go into details, but these include demolition explosives and other means to prevent Hamas operatives from using the tunnels to harm our soldiers.”
Five of the Israeli soldiers killed in fighting in the northern Gaza Strip were from the Golani Brigade, including Lt. Col. Grinberg, the commander of the 13th Battalion
Major Shelly and Major Rom Hecht of the Special Rescue Tactical Unit (669) died in the same battle in the Shahja'iya neighborhood
This came after the IDF announced on Tuesday that at least 105 Israeli soldiers had died since its ground offensive in the Gaza Strip began in late October
At least 20 of these were caused by accidents, 13 of which were caused by friendly fire or internal fire from friendly troops
As Israel pushes further into the depths of the Hamas stronghold in the Gaza Strip, Israel Defense Forces troops battled terrorists above ground while the air force bombed more targets in the devastated Gaza Strip.
But more than two months into the war sparked by the Palestinian group's unprecedented attack on October 7, Israel's staunchest ally warned that it was in danger of losing support because of the horrific humanitarian casualties in Gaza, according to the United Nations compared to “hell on earth”.
Biden said that “most of the world is behind Israel” after the Oct. 7 attack, which Israeli officials said killed about 1,200 people, mostly civilians, and took 240 hostages.
But in his most blunt remarks since the war began, Biden said Israel was beginning to lose that support “through the indiscriminate bombings that are taking place.”
Israel's retaliatory military campaign in Gaza to destroy Hamas has killed 18,412 people, mostly women and children, according to the Hamas-run Health Ministry.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu also needs to “change his stance” on a two-state solution for the Palestinians, Biden added.
Netanyahu said there was “disagreement” with Biden over how to govern Gaza after the conflict, reflecting a rare divide after weeks in which the U.S. leader strongly backed Israel.
Biden's comments came before the U.N. General Assembly on Tuesday overwhelmingly backed a non-binding resolution calling for an immediate humanitarian ceasefire in Gaza, a demand that has so far paralyzed the Security Council.