Seven Israeli soldiers were killed Tuesday in the southern Gaza city of Khan Younis when their armored vehicle was struck by an explosive, an Israeli military official said Wednesday.
The announcement comes a day after witnesses and hospitals in Gaza said Israeli forces and drones opened fire toward hundreds of Palestinians waiting for aid in separate incidents in southern and central Gaza early Tuesday, killing at least 44.
Meanwhile, people in Iran began returning to their lives as a ceasefire with Israel, negotiated by President Donald Trump, appeared to be holding. State media described heavy traffic around the Caspian Sea area and other rural areas outside of the capital, Tehran, as people began returning to the city.
The Iran-Israel conflict lasted 12 days with Israel targeting Iranian nuclear and military sites, saying it could not allow Tehran to develop atomic weapons. On Sunday, the U.S. intervened by dropping bunker-buster bombs on Iranian nuclear sites. Iran has long maintained that its nuclear program is peaceful.
Here is the latest:
7 Israeli soldiers killed in Gaza
Israel’s military said Wednesday that seven soldiers had been killed the day before inside Gaza.
A military official, speaking on the condition of anonymity in line with military regulations, said that the seven were killed around 5pm when an explosive struck their armored vehicle in the southern Gaza city of Khan Younis.
The military said another soldier was badly wounded Tuesday from RPG fire.
The incident was an unusually deadly one for Israel’s troops operating inside Gaza.
The military says over 860 soldiers have been killed since the war began with the Oct. 7, 2023 Hamas attack — including more than 400 during fighting inside Gaza.
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By Julia Frankel in Jerusalem
Hamas claims attack on Israeli soldiers
