21 Israeli soldiers killed in Gaza, the deadliest attack since the offensive against Israel

Jerusalem –

The Israeli military said Tuesday that Palestinian fighters killed 21 soldiers in the deadliest attack on Israeli forces in the Gaza Strip since a Hamas attack on Israel that sparked the war. This is a significant blow that could increase calls for a ceasefire.

A few hours later, the Israeli military announced that ground forces had surrounded Khan Yunis, Gaza’s second-most populous southern city, and a thick plume of black smoke rose over the city as thousands of Palestinians fled south. Can be seen. According to witnesses, Israeli tanks and troops also entered the nearby coastal area of ​​Muwasi, which the Israeli military had previously declared safe for Palestinians.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu expressed condolences over the deaths of the soldiers, who died when explosives were activated by the detonation of rocket-propelled grenades they were placing to demolish buildings. However, Netanyahu vowed to press forward until “complete victory”, which would include eliminating Hamas and freeing the more than 100 Israeli hostages still held by the fighters.

Israelis are increasingly questioning whether these goals can be achieved.

Following the Hamas attack on October 7, Israelis put aside their political differences and turned to support for the war. More than 100 days later, divisions have resurfaced and anger is growing over the way Netanyahu has handled the conflict. Families of the hostages have called on Israel to reach a compromise with Hamas, arguing that time is running out to bring their relatives home alive.

A senior Egyptian official said Israel has proposed a two-month ceasefire in which Palestinians captured by Israel would be released in exchange for hostages being released and top Hamas leaders in Gaza being allowed to travel to other countries.

The official, who was not authorized to brief the media and spoke on condition of anonymity, said Hamas rejected the proposal and insisted that the situation would continue until Israel ends its offensive and Gaza. No more hostages will be released until the US returns from Iraq. The Israeli government declined to comment on the talks.

The official said Egypt and Qatar – which have brokered previous deals between Israel and Hamas – are developing a multi-level proposal to resolve differences.

“One of the toughest days” for Israel.Israeli reservists were preparing explosives to demolish two buildings on Monday in the central Gaza Strip and on the outskirts of the Maghazi refugee camp near the Israeli border when a fighter threw a rocket-propelled grenade at a nearby tank. The blast detonated the explosives and caused two-story buildings to collapse on top of the soldiers.

Israeli media said troops were working to create an informal buffer zone about a kilometer (0.6 mi) wide along the border to prevent fighters from attacking Israeli communities near Gaza. Military spokesman Daniel Hagari said the mission was to demolish buildings and “create conditions” that would allow southern residents to return to their homes.

The United States has said it will oppose any efforts by Israel to reduce the Gaza Strip’s territory.

During the war, Israeli forces have used controlled explosions to destroy structures that the military says hide Hamas tunnels or were used as firing positions by fighters – which One of the reasons for the massive destruction caused by ground attack. The blasts have destroyed entire city blocks, apartment complexes, government buildings and universities, leading Palestinians to fear the area will become uninhabitable.

At least 217 soldiers have been killed since ground attacks began in late October, according to the military, including three soldiers killed in a separate incident on Monday.

Netanyahu acknowledged on social media that it was “one of the toughest days” of the war, but promised to continue the offensive.

“We are in the midst of a war that is more than just. In this war, we are registering major advances, such as besieging Khan Yunis, and also very significant losses,” he said later in a video.

Israel launched its offensive after Hamas crossed the border on 7 October and killed more than 1,200 people, taking another 250 hostage. More than 100 people were freed under a week-long ceasefire in November.

According to the Gaza Health Ministry, the attack has caused widespread death and destruction, killing at least 25,490 people – most of them women and children – and injuring another 63,354. Its counting does not differentiate between civilians and combatants. About 85% of Gaza’s 2.3 million people have been forced to flee their homes in the humanitarian crisis, leaving a quarter of the population at risk of starvation.

Soldiers in “safe zone”As fighting continues in neighboring Khan Yunis, witnesses said troops and tanks have entered parts of Muwasi in recent days. The army had previously told Palestinians to seek refuge in the small rural area on the Mediterranean coast, saying it would not be the target of military operations.

On Monday, the army attacked Al Khair Hospital, which is located in the area, and nearby Al Aqsa University, where some displaced people were sheltering, according to health officials.

The advance caused a resurgence of families who had fled the fighting in other parts of the region, witness Aseel al-Muqayed said. One of the main roads was “full of displaced people, and you could hardly find a place without a tent. Now, this area is practically empty,” he said, adding that he had seen tanks parked near the spot.

Al-Muqayed, 21, has been forced to relocate several times since his family was evacuated from northern Gaza. He moved again and again, fleeing the bombings – his younger brother and a cousin were killed in an attack on one of their shelters – and eventually ended up in Khan Yunis. He had come to Muwasi several days ago, discovered that there was electricity to charge his mother’s phone, and now he is afraid to go there again.

“We have not been able to sleep for two nights because the sounds of tanks, bullets and explosions are so close,” he said.

Inside Khan Yunis there was intense fighting around the two main hospitals. Artillery struck the fourth floor of al-Amal hospital, killing one and wounding 10, according to Raed al-Names, a spokesman for the Palestinian Red Crescent rescue service, which operates the facility.

Artillery also struck a UN school housing displaced people in the city on Monday, killing at least six people, according to the UN Palestinian refugee agency, known as UNRWA.

The Israeli offensive has focused for weeks on Khan Yunis and several refugee camps in urban areas of central Gaza, after the army said it had virtually defeated Hamas in the north of the enclave.

Israel believes a Hamas commander may be hiding in tunnels beneath Khan Yunis, the hometown of the group’s top Gaza leader Yehya Sinwar, whose whereabouts are unknown.

pressure for ceasefireThe rising death toll and dire humanitarian situation have placed greater international pressure on Israel to reduce the intensity of its offensive and accept the path of creation of a Palestinian state at the end of the war. The United States, which has provided significant military support for the offensive, has joined those calls.

But Netanyahu, whose popularity has declined since Oct. 7 and whose ruling coalition is compromised by far-right parties, has rejected both requests.

Instead, he has said Israel will need to expand its operations and eventually take control of the Gaza portion of the border with Egypt – an area where about 1 million Palestinians live in UN-run shelters, as well as wider Trapped in tent camps. ,

This sparked outrage among the Egyptian government, which rejected Israel’s claims that Hamas was smuggling weapons across the heavily guarded border.

Dia Rashwan, director of Egypt’s state information service, said on Monday that any Israeli action to seize the border area would “represent a serious threat” to relations between the two countries, which signed a historic peace accord four decades ago. Were. Egypt is also deeply concerned about any potential influx of Palestinian refugees into its Sinai Peninsula.

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Magdy reported from Cairo and Joben from Rafah, Gaza Strip. Associated Press writer Melanie Liedman in Jerusalem contributed to this report.