21 Israeli soldiers killed in single attack in Gaza

Read below: Gaza death toll from Israeli attacks rises to 25,490

TEL AVIV — At least 21 Israeli soldiers have been killed in Gaza while fighting Hamas, the Israel Defense Forces said on Tuesday.

Addressing a press briefing, IDF spokesman Daniel Hagari said soldiers were preparing explosives to demolish two buildings when militants launched a rocket-propelled grenade at a nearby tank on Monday, triggering a premature explosion that resulted in the collapse of the buildings while the soldiers were either inside or nearby, Xinhua news agency reported.

21 IDF soldiers were killed in action yesterday (Monday) as they continued to operate against Hamas centers of gravity in southern Gaza.

Based on the information available at this stage, the troops were operating in eastern Gaza near Khan Younis. The forces were operating to…

— Israel Defense Forces (@IDF) January 23, 2024

Offering condolences to the families of the soldiers who died, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu posted on X: " I wish to strengthen the dear families of our heroic warriors who fell on the battlefield. I know that for these families, their lives will be changed forever.

Prime Minister Netanyahu said the millitary has launched an investigation into the incident.

Gaza death toll from Israeli attacks rises to 25,490

GAZA — Amid the unabated fighting between Israel and Hamas in the Gaza Strip, the death toll in the besieged enclave rose to 25,490, the Palestinian Health Ministry said on Tuesday.

At least 195 Palestinians were killed and 354 others wounded in the last 24 hours, the ministry said in a statement, Xinhua news agency reported.

"A number of victims are still under the rubble, and ambulances and the civil defense crew cannot reach them," the ministry added.

On Monday, the Israeli army intensified its assault on the southern Khan Younis city, storming medical centers and killing dozens of Palestinians, making it the fiercest fighting in the area so far.

Meanwhile, the Israeli army suffered its deadliest single attack on Monday, in which 21 soldiers were killed in Gaza.