Twenty-four Israeli soldiers were killed during intense fighting in Gaza on Monday, marking the Israel Defense Forces’s bloodiest day since the war began.
Rear Admiral Daniel Hagari, an Israeli military spokesman, told reporters on Tuesday that 21 troops were killed in an explosion after Hamas terrorists fired rocket-propelled grenades at a tank.
We are still studying and investigating the details of the event and the reasons for the explosion, Rear Admiral Hagari said.
Earlier, the military had said three soldiers were killed in a separate attack in southern Gaza.
Israeli forces pushed deep into western Khan Younis on Monday, with an air, sea, and land bombardment that included storming a hospital and arresting medical staff, a spokesman for the Hamas-run health ministry, Ashraf al Qidra, told Reuters.
Mr Qidra said at least 50 people were killed on Sunday night in the key southern city, 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.
We expect them to do so in accordance with international law and to protect innocent people in hospitals, medical staff, and patients as well, as much as possible, said John Kirby, the White House National Security Council spokesman.
Israel says Hamas fighters operate in and around hospitals, which the terror group and medical staff deny.
The IDF launched an offensive last week to capture Khan Younis, which it now says is the principal headquarters of the Hamas leaders responsible for the Oct 7 attacks on southern Israel.
Israel has vowed to wipe out the group, which rules Gaza and is sworn to Israel’s destruction.
At least 25,295 Gazans have now been killed since the war began, the enclave’s Hamas-run health ministry said in an update on Monday.
