Israel’s military announced that eight Israeli soldiers were killed in a blast in southern Gaza on Saturday, marking the deadliest incident for the army in the conflict since January.
The soldiers were inside an armored vehicle that was struck by a significant explosion, believed to have been caused by detonated explosive “engineering material,” according to a preliminary investigation by the army.
The incident occurred during an operation in the Tal al-Sultan neighborhood of Rafah, which has been a focal point for Israeli forces in recent weeks.
Earlier, the armed wing of Hamas claimed responsibility for firing a rocket at an armored vehicle after setting up an ambush.
The soldiers were returning from an overnight operation in Rafah’s Tal al-Sultan neighborhood around 05:15 local time when their armored vehicle exploded.
Israeli media reported that Israeli forces had killed 50 fighters during that operation, while Gaza’s Hamas-run health ministry stated that 30 Palestinians had been killed in the past day.
In a statement, the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) identified 23-year-old Captain Wassem Mahmoud as one of those killed, noting that the names of the other soldiers would be released once their families have been notified.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Israel had paid “a heart-rending price in our just war in defense of our homeland”, but said his country would continue fighting this war “to ensure our existence and our future”.
Defence Minister Yoav Gallant also expressed his sorrow, saying “the pain that comes with such loss is immense”.
Israeli ground troops are continuing to operate in Rafah to oust Hamas from what it calls its “last major stronghold”.
Aid agencies have warned of a dire humanitarian situation in Rafah, where the UN says around one million Palestinians are taking refuge.
On Wednesday, World Health Organization Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said a significant proportion of Gaza’s population was facing “catastrophic hunger and famine-like conditions”.
Several world leaders, including US President Joe Biden, have urged Israel not to conduct a full scale assault on Rafah.
The Hamas-run health ministry says more than 37,000 Palestinians have been killed since the start of the war, and many hundreds of thousands more have been injured or displaced.
The war began after Hamas attacked Israel on 7 October, killing about 1,200 people and taking 251 others back to Gaza as hostages.