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An attack on Israeli forces in the Gaza Strip on Monday left 21 soldiers dead, the military said on Tuesday. The attack was the deadliest for Israeli troops since the Oct. 7 Hamas-led massacre that sparked the war.
According to the Israeli military, reservists were preparing explosives to demolish two buildings in central Gaza when a militant fired a rocket-propelled grenade at a tank nearby. The explosion of the rocket outside the buildings triggered the explosives within them, causing both two-story buildings to collapse on top of the soldiers.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu mourned the loss of the soldiers and said Monday was “one of the hardest days” since the war began.
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The military says at least 217 Israeli soldiers have been killed since the ground offensive began in late October, including three in a separate incident on Monday.
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An image taken from Rafah on Tuesday shows flares fired by Israeli soldiers over Khan Younis in the southern Gaza Strip as fighting continues between the Israeli military and Hamas terrorists. (AFP via Getty Images)
Monday's attack could be a major setback to renewed calls for a ceasefire, as Netanyahu vowed that the IDF would continue its war with Hamas until “complete victory.”
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“In the name of our heroes and for our own lives, we will not stop fighting until absolute victory,” he wrote on the social media website X, formerly Twitter.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu (left) announced retaliation against Hamas terrorists after an attack killed 21 Israeli soldiers on Monday. (Alexi J. Rosenfeld/Getty Images)
Hours after Israel announced the attack, its military said ground troops had surrounded the southern town of Khan Younis, where Israel said Hamas leaders were hiding.
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There has been heavy fighting in and around the city – Gaza's second largest city – in recent days. Fighting continues and a second ceasefire is being sought.
An image taken from Rafah shows smoke rising over Khan Younis during an Israeli attack on Monday. (AFP via Getty Images)
A ceasefire in November led to Hamas releasing more than 100 of its hostages – out of around 250 taken in its surprise attack on Israeli border communities on October 7 – in exchange for a week-long ceasefire and the release of 240 Palestinians Israel imprisoned.
International pressure and pressure from the Israeli Knesset have pushed Israeli leaders to negotiate another ceasefire for the remaining prisoners.
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Hamas terrorists killed about 1,200 people and took about 250 hostages in their surprise attack on Israel on October 7, 2023. (Majdi Fathi/NurPhoto via Getty Images)
According to the Associated Press, a senior Egyptian official said Israel had proposed a two-month ceasefire to release the remaining hostages. In return, Israel would release more Palestinians from its prisons and allow top Hamas leaders in Gaza to relocate to other countries.
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The official, who was not authorized to speak to the media and spoke on condition of anonymity, said Hamas rejected the proposal. Instead, Hamas said it would not release any more hostages until Israel ends its offensive and withdraws from Gaza.
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The Associated Press contributed to this report.