Seven Israeli soldiers killed in Gaza explosion

Seven Israeli soldiers were killed on Tuesday in the southern Gaza city of Khan Younis when their armoured vehicle was struck by an explosive, an Israeli military official said on Wednesday.

The official, who spoke on the condition of anonymity in line with military regulations, said six of the soldiers' names had been cleared for publication, while one was still being kept confidential.

Also in the area of Khan Younis area, one soldier was seriously wounded Tuesday by weapons fire, the military said.

Al-Qassam Brigades, Hamas's military wing, said on its Telegram channel it had ambushed Israeli soldiers taking cover inside a residential building in southern Gaza Strip.

Some of the soldiers were killed and other injured after they were targeted by a Yassin 105 missile and another missile south Khan Younis, Hamas said. Al-Qassam fighters then targeted the building with machine guns.

It was not immediately clear whether the two incidents were the same.

Gaza's Health Ministry said Tuesday that Israel's 21-month military operation in Gaza has killed 56,077 people. The war was sparked by Hamas' surprise attack on southern Israel on October 7, 2023, that killed around 1,200 people dead, mostly civilians, and took 251 others hostage. Many hostages have been released by ceasefire or other agreements.

The death toll is by far the highest in any round of Israeli-Palestinian fighting.

The ministry said the dead include 5,759 who have been killed since Israel resumed fighting on March 18, shattering a two-month ceasefire.

The ministry doesn't distinguish between civilians and combatants but says more than half of the dead were women and children.

Israel says it only targets militants and blames civilian deaths on Hamas, which operates in heavily populated areas. Israel says over 20,000 Hamas militants have been killed, though it has provided no evidence to support that claim. Hamas has not commented on its casualties.