Five Israeli soldiers were killed in an attack in northern Gaza on Tuesday, according to the Israeli military. The soldiers were targeted by explosive devices during an operation in the Beit Hanoun area, a region that has seen repeated clashes with regrouping militants. Militants also opened fire on the forces evacuating the wounded, leaving 14 soldiers injured, two of them seriously.
Meanwhile, health officials in Gaza reported that 18 Palestinians were killed in Israeli strikes. One strike targeted tents sheltering displaced people in Khan Younis, killing four, while another strike in the same area killed a family of four, including two children. In central Gaza, Israeli strikes hit a group of people, killing 10 and injuring 72, according to Awda Hospital in Nuseirat.
The Israeli military has not commented on the strikes but has consistently blamed Hamas for civilian casualties, accusing the group of operating in populated areas.
The deaths come as Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu visits Washington, where U.S. President Donald Trump has expressed a desire to see the 21-month Gaza conflict end soon. White House officials are pushing for a 60-day ceasefire that would allow aid to enter Gaza and facilitate the release of at least some of the remaining 50 hostages held by Hamas, 20 of whom are believed to be alive.
A key sticking point in the negotiations is whether the ceasefire will lead to a permanent end to the war. Hamas has offered to release all hostages in exchange for an end to the war and a full Israeli withdrawal from Gaza, but Netanyahu insists that the war will only end when Hamas surrenders, disarms, and goes into exile.
The conflict began on October 7, 2023, when Hamas attacked Israel, killing around 1,200 people and taking 251 hostages. Israel’s subsequent offensive has killed over 57,000 Palestinians, according to Gaza’s Health Ministry, which does not differentiate between civilians and combatants.
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