One of the worst days for Israeli forces in the Gaza Strip this year, the Israeli military said Tuesday that five soldiers had been killed after fierce fighting in the region.
The army stated in a statement that the troops, who ranged in age from 20 to 28, were killed while conducting operations in northern Gaza. A hospital is presently treating two more soldiers who suffered serious injuries. The military also said that their families had been informed.
In response to the death, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who is now in Washington for discussions with US President Donald Trump, sent a message of grief and determination.
Netanyahu posted on X, saying, “Everyone in Israel bows their heads and laments the loss of our brave soldiers who gave their lives in the fight to defeat Hamas and free all our hostages.”
Israeli military correspondents have reported that a number of improvised explosive devices (IEDs) exploded during operations in Beit Hanun, resulting in the deaths. When troops trying to evacuate the injured were fired upon, the situation became more heated.
President Isaac Herzog conveyed the sadness of the losses and offered his condolences.
“The heart is broken by the heartbreaking news of the death of five brave sons in Gaza, the majority of whom were members of the ultra-Orthodox ‘Netzach Yehuda’ battalion,” Herzog wrote on X.
Opposition leader Yair Lapid added his voice, calling for an end to the conflict: “For the sake of the fighters, for the sake of their families, for the sake of the hostages, for the sake of the State of Israel: this war must be ended.”
The death toll of Israeli troops since the beginning of the Gaza conflict has now risen to at least 445, based on a tally from official figures.
Meanwhile, diplomatic efforts continue. Negotiators from Israel and Hamas resumed indirect talks in Doha on Sunday, but no major progress has been reported.
Monday’s session ended without a breakthrough, according to a Palestinian official familiar with the discussions.
U.S. President Trump’s special envoy, Steve Witkoff, is expected to join the talks this week in a renewed push for a ceasefire.
The U.S.-backed proposal reportedly includes a 60-day truce, during which Hamas would release 10 living hostages and several bodies in exchange for Palestinian detainees held in Israeli prisons.
According to people familiar with the negotiations, Hamas is requesting assurances of Israeli disengagement, a halt in fighting while talks continue, and the restoration of the UN-run humanitarian distribution system in Gaza.
The wider humanitarian problem keeps becoming worse. According to data from the Hamas-run health ministry, the Israeli military response to the October 7, 2023, attack by Hamas that killed 1,219 people in Israel sparked the war, which has resulted in at least 57,523 deaths in Gaza, the majority of them civilians. The UN considers the numbers to be reliable.
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