Israeli army announces death of eight soldiers in southern Gaza Strip

The Israeli army announced the death on Saturday of eight soldiers, killed in the explosion of their vehicle near Rafah, in the south of the Gaza Strip, where the war has raged for eight months between Israel and Palestinian Hamas.

These eight soldiers “were killed” at 5:15 a.m. northwest of Tal al-Sultan, in the Rafah region, the army said in a statement published Saturday evening.

The armored vehicle in which the soldiers were “was hit by the explosion of a bomb”, specifies this same source. On the vehicle there were devices containing “explosive materials”, she adds.

“Consequential” explosion

“The explosion was substantial,” continues the army, stating that it could have been caused by the triggering of these explosive materials. “This is not supposed to happen,” she noted, specifying that an investigation was underway.

This “large explosion made it difficult to identify and locate the bodies” of the soldiers. Among the soldiers who died was Captain Wassem Mahmoud, 23, according to the army.

“The entire Israeli nation embraces its dear families in this difficult moment,” responded Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, according to a statement from his office. He reiterated the “goals of the war,” citing in particular the destruction of Hamas’s military and governing capabilities and the return of the hostages.

Assault on Rafah

The Israeli army launched an assault on the town of Rafah, on the southern edge of the Gaza Strip, on May 7, sparking strong criticism from the international community.

Since the start of the Israeli ground offensive in the Gaza Strip on October 27, 306 soldiers have been killed – including the eight soldiers who died on Saturday, one of the worst tolls for the Israeli army in a single day.

On January 22, 21 reservists were killed during a single attack carried out by Hamas. In total that day, 24 soldiers died in combat in the Gaza Strip, according to the army, the deadliest day for Israel since October 27.

“Every soldier who dies is like someone from our family dies. We experience it as a collective loss,” Graciela Barchilon, 68, told AFP, who came to Tel Aviv this Saturday evening to demonstrate with thousands of people against the government of Benjamin Netanyahu.

The war was sparked on October 7 by the attack by the Palestinian Islamist movement carried out from the Gaza Strip in southern Israel, which resulted in the death of 1,194 people, mostly civilians, according to an AFP count. established from official Israeli data.

Of 251 people kidnapped that day, 116 are still held hostage in Gaza, of whom 41 are dead, according to the army. In retaliation, the Israeli army launched a large-scale offensive in Gaza which left 37,296 people dead, mostly civilians, according to data on Saturday from the Health Ministry of the Hamas-led Gaza government.

AFP

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