{"id":73841,"date":"2024-06-15T20:02:09","date_gmt":"2024-06-15T20:02:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/news.talkwithrattan.com\/index.php\/2024\/06\/15\/eight-israeli-soldiers-were-killed-in-southern-gaza-the-military-said\/"},"modified":"2024-06-15T20:02:09","modified_gmt":"2024-06-15T20:02:09","slug":"eight-israeli-soldiers-were-killed-in-southern-gaza-the-military-said","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/news.talkwithrattan.com\/index.php\/2024\/06\/15\/eight-israeli-soldiers-were-killed-in-southern-gaza-the-military-said\/","title":{"rendered":"Eight Israeli soldiers were killed in southern Gaza, the military said."},"content":{"rendered":"
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Eight Israeli soldiers were killed while riding in an armored vehicle in southern Gaza on Saturday, the Israeli military said, as the Israeli offensive in the southern city of Rafah continued to exact a toll among its troops.<\/p>\n

The deaths occurred around 5:15 a.m. as Israeli troops operated in the northwest part of Tel al-Sultan, a neighborhood in western Rafah, the Israeli military said. The eight soldiers \u2014 who belonged to the military\u2019s engineering corps \u2014 were riding in an armored vehicle when the blast occurred, the military said.<\/p>\n

Hamas, the Palestinian armed group, said in a statement that its militants had fired anti-tank missiles at Israeli military vehicles in western Rafah, killing some soldiers. It was not immediately clear whether it was an explosive device that damaged the vehicle or anti-tank missile fire, Rear Adm. Daniel Hagari, the Israeli military spokesman, told reporters.<\/p>\n

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The explosion damaged the vehicle but might have also ignited munitions inside, Israeli military officials said, adding that the blast was severe enough to make finding and identifying the bodies difficult.<\/p>\n

Israel has fought for more than eight months in Gaza in the wake of the Hamas-led attack on Oct. 7, which killed roughly 1,200 in Israel \u2014 mostly civilians \u2014 and took some 250 others hostage. More than 36,000 people have been killed in Gaza since the beginning of the war, according to Palestinian health officials, who do not distinguish between combatants and civilians.<\/p>\n

Hamas has fought a dogged guerrilla war, resisting Israel\u2019s efforts to decisively defeat the organization, take down its leaders and bring back many of those abducted during the surprise Oct. 7 attack. According to the Israeli military, the campaign has killed an estimated 13,000 to 14,000 militants in Gaza. Israeli officials have not provided evidence for the calculation.<\/p>\n

More than 300 Israeli soldiers have been killed since the Israeli ground invasion of Gaza began in late October. At the end of January<\/a>, about 20 Israeli soldiers were killed as they prepared to demolish buildings inside Gaza near the border with Israel.<\/p>\n

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of Israel publicly mourned the soldiers\u2019 deaths and called for Israel to remain committed to its military\u2019s goals of destroying Hamas, bringing home the hostages and \u201censuring Gaza can no longer threaten Israel.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThere is no substitute for victory,\u201d Mr. Netanyahu said, adding, \u201cDo not let anyone distract you from the simple and clear fact: We must remain dedicated to the war aims, despite the heavy and agonizing price.\u201d<\/p>\n

Mr. Netanyahu has been criticized by parts of the Israeli public, the families of hostages held in Gaza and former security officials. Some argue that only a settlement with Hamas will return the remaining 120 living and dead captives; others have argued that his failure to articulate a clear postwar alternative to Hamas has left the country trapped in a holding pattern in Gaza.<\/p>\n

Israeli forces rescued four hostages in a rescue operation in central Gaza last weekend that also left scores of Gazans dead, according to local health officials. Admiral Hagari applauded the mission but added, \u201cWe must be honest \u2014 we cannot bring home everyone in this manner.\u201d<\/p>\n

Israeli forces have closed in on Rafah in recent weeks, sweeping along the border area with Egypt in an effort to destroy tunnels they say Hamas has used to smuggle weapons into the Gaza Strip. They have also conducted raids into the city itself. The United Nations estimates that more than one million Palestinians have fled Rafah.<\/p>\n

In the northern town of Beit Jann \u2014 populated by Arab Israelis who adhere to the Druze faith \u2014 residents mourned Waseem Mahmoud, one of the fallen soldiers. The Druze occupy an unusual middle ground in Israel: Arab practitioners of a minority religion who generally serve in Israel\u2019s military and security forces.<\/p>\n

The town\u2019s residents had planned to observe Eid al-Adha, a holiday shared by both Muslims and Druze. But all of the public festivities were called off in light of the news, said Nazih Dabour, the town mayor.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe can\u2019t bury our children and celebrate on the same day,\u201d said Mr. Dabour, who paid the family a condolence call on Saturday. \u201cIt\u2019s a huge tragedy for us.\u201d<\/p>\n

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\u2014 <\/span>Aaron Boxerman<\/a><\/span> Reporting from Jerusalem<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n