Seven Israeli soldiers were killed Tuesday in the southern Gaza city of Khan Younis when their armored vehicle was struck by an explosive, an Israeli military official said Wednesday.
The official, who spoke on the condition of anonymity in line with military regulations, said six of the soldiers’ names had been cleared for publication, while one was still being kept confidential, says AP.
It was a particularly deadly incident for Israel’s military inside Gaza. Over 860 Israeli soldiers have been killed since the war began with the October 7, 2023, Hamas attack — including more than 400 during the fighting inside Gaza.
Also in the area of Khan Younis area, one soldier was seriously wounded Tuesday by weapons fire, the military said.
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.
The deadly attack came as the Palestinian death toll inside Gaza crossed the 56,000 mark.