Israeli army says four soldiers killed in south Gaza

W460

The Israeli military said on Tuesday that four soldiers had been killed in fighting in southern Gaza the previous day, more than eight months into its war against Hamas militants.

The soldiers were "killed in fighting in south Gaza" on Monday, the military said in a statement, without elaborating on the circumstances of their deaths.

Israeli public broadcaster Kan said that the soldiers were killed in an explosion in a building in Gaza's far-southern city of Rafah.

On Monday evening, Hamas' armed wing, the Ezzedine al-Qassam Brigades, said its fighters had "booby-trapped" a building in the Shabura refugee camp in Rafah.

"The Qassam mujahideen were able to detonate a booby-trapped house inside which a Zionist force was holed up ... leaving members of the (Israeli) force dead and wounded," the group said in a statement.

The Times of Israel reported that seven soldiers were also wounded in the blast, five of them seriously.

The latest deaths took to 298 the Israeli military's overall losses since its ground offensive in Gaza began on October 27, it said.

The Israeli army has been locked in street fighting with Palestinian militants in Rafah since launching its controversial ground assault on the city on May 7.

Foreign governments, including U.S. ally Israel, had opposed the operation, out of concern for the safety of Palestinian civilians sheltering in the city. Well over a million have since fled, seeking refuge where they can.

The Gaza war was triggered by Hamas' unprecedented October 7 attack on Israel, which Israel says resulted in the deaths of 1,194 people.

Israel's retaliatory military campaign has killed at least 37,124 people in Gaza, mostly civilians, according to the Hamas-run territory's health ministry.

Comments 6
Thumb ice-man 11 June 2024, 13:11

How Sad... They just immigrated from Poland to enjoy living in the only democracy in the Middle-East and join the most moral army in the world.....

Missing phillipo 11 June 2024, 19:39

I can suppose that 99% of those dead are civilians. How can Hamas admit that thousands of their terrorist fighters have been eliminated. Take a look at any pictures coming out of Gaza and you will see "innocent civilians" with arms strung over their shoulders.

Thumb i.report 12 June 2024, 01:27

Fortune smiles upon you, Zionist as the esteemed entomologist-judge, commanding a seven-figure income, has gracefully returned to the comfort of his plush, padded quarters.

Thumb justin 12 June 2024, 01:56

Yes Philipo: There are numerous pictures coming out of Gaza showing dead 6 months old babies brandishing anti aircraft rocket launchers and dead pregnant women carrying machine guns.

Missing phillipo 12 June 2024, 15:41

Justin, I suppose that you at the same time deny those pictures of the babies, children, men and women massacred in their homes on October 7th 2023 by your dear friends Hamas.

Thumb justin 13 June 2024, 00:52

Joseph Goebbels: “If you tell a lie big enough and keep repeating it, people will eventually come to believe it".

Your government made the claim babies were massacred in their homes on October 7, 2024 just like you do but failed to produce one piece of evidence to support its claim. Even Western media does not believe your Zionist propaganda anymore. You re-write history as we speak. You people are devoid of any humanity, morals, and are pure criminals.