24 Israeli soldiers killed in Gaza fighting

JERSUSALEM: Twenty-four Israeli soldiers were killed during intense fighting in Gaza in the last 24 hours, the military said on Tuesday, marking the highest one-day Israeli death toll since fighting began in the enclave.

Israel launched an offensive last week to capture Khan Younis, which it now says is the principal headquarters of Hamas. Israel claim Hamas fighters operate in and around hospitals, which Hamas and medical staff deny.

Military spokesman Rear Admiral Daniel Hagari said that 21 soldiers were killed when a rocket-propelled grenade hit a tank that was guarding Israeli forces.

At the same time, an explosion occurred in two, two-storey buildings where forces had planted explosives in order to destroy the buildings. The explosion triggered their collapse onto the Israeli soldiers.

“We are still studying and investigating the details of the event and the reasons for the explosion,” Hagari told an early morning press briefing. Earlier, the military had said three soldiers were killed in a separate attack in southern Gaza.

The assault came as Israeli forces pushed deep into western Khan Younis in Gaza, with an air, sea and land bombardment that included storming a hospital and arresting medical staff,

Gaza health ministry spokesman Ashraf al Qidra said at least 50 people were killed on Sunday night in Khan Younis, while the sieges at medical facilities meant dozens of dead and wounded were beyond the reach of rescuers.

The United States called on Israel to protect innocent Palestinians and medical staff. At least 25,295 Gazans have been killed since Oct. 7, Gaza health authorities said in an update on Monday.

International concern has mounted over the Palestinian death toll from Israel’s assault on the densely populated enclave and a humanitarian crisis afflicting hundreds of thousands of people.

The United States has urged Israel to reduce civilian harm in Gaza, called on it to stop violence by Israeli settlers against Palestinians in the occupied West Bank, and has said it still believes a two-state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict is possible.

In Brussels on Monday, Israeli Foreign Minister Israel Katz sidestepped discussion of a two-state solution at a meeting with European Union counterparts, opting to show them videos of future infrastructure projects.

Israel has pushed back against calls for a Palestinian state, with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu saying that any Palestinian state would pose “an existential danger” to Israel.

EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell has circulated a discussion paper with a roadmap to peace that calls for a preparatory peace conference organised by the EU and Arab nations. The US and UN were invited to be conveners.

Washington called for an investigation and accountability “as appropriate” following the West Bank death on Friday of a 17-year-old Palestinian American killed by Israeli security forces. The Israel-occupied West Bank has seen a surge of violence in parallel to the Gaza war that erupted in October.