Tel Aviv: The Israeli military announced on Wednesday that seven of its troops — including one officer and six soldiers — lost their lives during combat operations in the southern Gaza Strip on Tuesday.
In a separate statement, the military also confirmed that another soldier sustained critical injuries in a different incident, also in southern Gaza.
According to Israeli media outlets, the fatal incident occurred in the city of Khan Younis, where an explosive device detonated beneath the soldiers’ vehicle, engulfing it in flames.
The ongoing conflict in Gaza erupted after the October 7, 2023, assault by Hamas-led militants on southern Israel, which resulted in the deaths of 1,200 people and the capture of 251 hostages, based on Israeli figures.
Israel’s retaliatory campaign — involving extensive airstrikes and a ground invasion — has killed more than 56,000 Palestinians, according to the Hamas-run health ministry. The offensive has displaced the vast majority of Gaza’s population of over 2 million and brought the territory to the brink of famine.
The Israeli military reports that 19 of its soldiers have been killed in Gaza since the start of June.
