Eight Israeli soldiers killed in Gaza in one of the deadliest single incidents for Israeli forces since October 7

CNN
—

According to the Israel Defense Forces, eight Israeli soldiers were killed in the southern Gaza Strip on Saturday, one of the deadliest single incidents involving Israeli troops since October 7.

The Israel Defense Forces told CNN that the incident was under investigation and that various possible causes were being examined.

Previously, the Al-Qassam Brigades, the military wing of Hamas, said they had carried out “a complex ambush against enemy vehicles” in Tal al-Sultan, west of the southern city of Rafah.

The militant group said it attacked a military bulldozer, which then caught fire, killing and wounding the crew. When rescue troops arrived, they attacked an armoured personnel carrier, killing the soldiers.

The incident came as Israel continues its advance into the southern city of Rafah, where there have been reports of airstrikes and artillery fire since dawn local time.

Ahmed Radwan, media officer for Rafah’s civil defense, said calls had been made to recover bodies and injured people, but it was difficult for civil defense teams to access the area.

Some of the fiercest fighting took place in Tal al-Sultan.

On Friday, Hamas said its fighters had attacked Israeli tanks in the neighborhood with anti-tank grenade launchers and mortars, while Israeli forces said they had discovered tunnels between neighboring houses used by insurgents as passageways.

Elsewhere, at least 14 people were killed in Israeli attacks on the center of the Gaza Strip, including seven children, the Gaza Strip’s civil defense authority said.

In total, 30 people were killed and 95 injured in the Gaza Strip in the last 24 hours, according to the Gaza Health Ministry. Since October 7, 37,296 people have been killed and 85,197 injured in Israel’s bombing of the enclave.

This is a developing story and will be updated.