5 Israeli soldiers killed overnight in Gaza, 18 dead in Israeli strikes

Five Israeli soldiers were killed and two critically injured in northern Gaza, while Israeli airstrikes killed 18 Palestinians, including children. The clashes come amid US-backed ceasefire discussions between Israel and Hamas as violence escalates across southern and central Gaza

Tel Aviv: Five Israeli soldiers were killed overnight in northern Gaza, the Israeli military said Tuesday. Two other soldiers were seriously wounded. Meanwhile, health officials in Gaza said Israeli strikes at two locations in the territory killed 18 people.

Israeli media said the infantry soldiers were on patrol when explosive devices were detonated against them. Media said militants also opened fire on the reinforcements sent to evacuate the dead and wounded.

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The latest violence comes as Israel and Hamas consider a US-backed ceasefire proposal to pause the 21-month conflict in the territory The soldiers’ deaths came roughly two weeks after Israel reported once of its deadliest days in months in Gaza, when seven soldiers were killed when a Palestinian attacker attached a bomb to their armoured vehicle.

Health officials at the Nasser Hospital, where victims of the Israeli strikes were taken, said one of the strikes targeted tents sheltering displaced people in Khan Younis in southern Gaza, killing four people. A separate strike in Khan Younis killed four people, including a mother, father, and their two children.

In central Gaza, Israeli strikes hit a group of people, killing 10 people and injuring 72 others, according to a statement by Awda Hospital in Nuseirat.