Explosive kills 7 Israeli soldiers in Gaza inside an armored vehicle

Seven Israeli soldiers were killed in Khan Younis, Gaza, after their armored vehicle was hit by explosives. Hamas claimed responsibility. Gaza’s Health Ministry reports over 56,000 deaths since October 2023, with heavy casualties amid Israel’s ongoing offensive against Hamas

Jerusalem: Seven Israeli soldiers were killed on Tuesday in the southern Gaza city of Khan Younis when their armored vehicle was struck by an explosive, an Israeli military official said on Wednesday.

The official said six of the soldiers’ names had been cleared for publication, while one was still being kept confidential.Also in the area of Khan Younis area, one soldier was seriously wounded on Tuesday by weapons fire, the military said.

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Al-Qassam Brigades, Hamas’s military wing, said on its Telegram channel it had ambushed Israeli soldiers taking cover inside a residential building in southern Gaza Strip. Some of the soldiers were killed and other injured after they were targeted by a Yassin 105 missile and another missile south Khan Younis, Hamas said.

Al-Qassam fighters then targeted the building with machine guns. It was not immediately clear whether the two incidents were the same.

Gaza’s Health Ministry said that Israel’s 21-month military operation in Gaza has killed 56,077 people. The war was sparked by Hamas’ surprise attack on southern Israel on Oct 7, 2023, that killed around 1,200 people dead, mostly civilians, and took 251 others hostage.

Many hostages have been released by ceasefire or other agreements.The death toll is by far the highest in any round of Israeli-Palestinian fighting.The ministry said the dead include 5,759 who have been killed since Israel resumed fighting on March 18, shattering a two-month ceasefire.

The ministry doesn’t distinguish between civilians and combatants but says more than half of the dead were women and children.Israel says it only targets militants and blames civilian deaths on Hamas, which operates in heavily populated areas. Israel says over 20,000 Hamas militants have been killed, though it has provided no evidence to support that claim. Hamas has not commented on its casualties.