Powerful explosion in Gaza kills 7 Israeli soldiers

Seven Israeli soldiers were killed on Tuesday in the southern Gaza city of Khan Yunis when their armored vehicle was hit by an explosion, an Israeli military official said on Wednesday.

The official, who spoke on condition of anonymity in accordance with military regulations, said the names of six of the seven soldiers have been cleared for publication, while one is still being withheld.

More than 860 Israeli soldiers have been killed since the war began on October 7, 2023, following Hamas' attack on Israel - including over 400 during fighting inside Gaza.

Hamas is a Palestinian group designated a terrorist organization by the United States and the European Union. Also in the Khan Yunis area, a soldier was seriously wounded by gunfire on Tuesday, the army said.

The al-Qassam Brigades, the military wing of Hamas, announced on its Telegram channel that it had ambushed Israeli soldiers who had taken refuge in a residential building in the southern Gaza Strip.

According to Hamas, several soldiers were killed and others were wounded after being attacked with a Yassin 105 rocket and another rocket south of Khan Yunis. Al-Qassam fighters then hit the building with machine guns.

It is not clear whether the two incidents are the same. The deadly attack occurred as the Palestinian death toll in Gaza passed 56,000.

The Gaza Health Ministry said Tuesday that Israel's 21-month war has killed 56,077 people. Israel says it is targeting only militants and blames Hamas for civilian casualties because it operates in populated areas. Israel claims that more than 20,000 Hamas militants have been killed, but has not provided evidence for that claim. Hamas has not commented on its own death toll.

Hamas attacked southern Israel in 2023, killing about 1,200 people, mostly civilians, and kidnapping 51 others. Many hostages have been released through ceasefires or other agreements./REL

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