Advertisement
On Monday, the Israeli army reported the loss of 24 soldiers in Gaza, marking the deadliest day since the initiation of their ground operation. Among the casualties were 21 reservists who perished in an explosion believed to be caused by mines placed by Israeli forces in two buildings scheduled for demolition. The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) suspect that a missile fired by Palestinian armed fighters hit a tank guarding the troops just before the incident. The IDF is currently conducting an investigation into the circumstances surrounding the tragedy.
Gaza’s Hamas-run Health Ministry reported that 195 Palestinians lost their lives in the same period. The IDF’s chief spokesman, Rear Admiral Daniel Hagari, revealed that the reservists were killed in central Gaza near the kibbutz of Kissufim on the Israeli side of the border around 16:00 (14:00 GMT) on Monday. They were engaged in an operation to facilitate the safe return of residents of southern Israel to their homes, following the mass evacuations prompted by the Hamas attack on October 7.
The first funerals for those killed in the explosion took place at Mount Herzl in rainy Jerusalem. Many mourners, donned in military uniforms, filled the scene adorned with blue and white Israeli flags. Confirming an earlier attack, Israel’s military announced that three officers were killed in southern Gaza on Monday.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu stated that despite the suffering, Israel would persist with its offensive until achieving “absolute victory.” Fierce fighting has been reported in Khan Younis in southern Gaza, which is densely populated with displaced people. The IDF declared the complete encirclement of the city, a focal point of its ground offensive against Hamas, suspecting the group’s leaders might be hiding there, possibly where Israeli hostages are held.
The IDF reported numerous casualties among local gunmen, the discovery of rockets in ready-to-fire rocket-launchers, tunnel shafts, and a substantial quantity of weapons. Palestinians reported civilian casualties, including women and children, in the city. They alleged that Israeli blockades and the storming of hospitals since Monday had left the wounded and dead beyond the reach of rescuers. Dead individuals were being buried within the grounds of Nasser hospital due to safety concerns hindering access to the cemetery.
There were reports of Israeli forces storming another hospital, Al-Khair, in the al-Mawasi area to the west, resulting in staff arrests. Israel initiated the war with the aim of destroying Hamas after waves of its gunmen caused significant casualties and took hostages. According to the IDF website, 217 soldiers have been killed since the start of the ground invasion on October 27, totaling 552 casualties since October 7. The Hamas-run health ministry reported at least 25,490 people, predominantly women and children, killed in the Israeli military campaign in Gaza since then.