Ground offensive: Israeli soldier killed during Gaza raid

JERUSALEM (Reuters): On Sunday, during a military incursion into the Hamas-controlled Gaza Strip, an Israeli soldier lost his life after being hit by an anti-tank missile, the Israeli military confirmed.

Israeli troops have been conducting border raids with the objective of area clearance and gathering intelligence related to missing individuals and captives believed to be held by the militant group Hamas within the enclave.

“The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) reported that one of its soldiers was killed, while another sustained moderate injuries, and two others suffered minor injuries as a result of an anti-tank missile launched toward an IDF tank and an engineering vehicle,” the military stated.

Over the past 24 hours, Israeli forces have reportedly killed 266 Palestinians, with the majority of casualties in the southern part of the Gaza Strip, as reported by a health ministry spokesman.

Dr. Ashraf al-Qudra, the health ministry spokesperson, noted that out of the victims, 117 were children. Additionally, two Palestinians were killed by Israeli forces in Zawata, a town located northwest of Nablus in the Occupied West Bank, according to the health ministry.

The ministry added that Jihad Saleh, aged 29, and Mohamed Abu Zir, aged 17, were killed, and two others were injured, with one in critical condition, during an Israeli raid on the town. The overall toll now stands at 4,651 Palestinians killed and 14,245 injured in Israeli airstrikes on the Gaza Strip. In the occupied West Bank, 92 Palestinians have been killed, and 1,400 have been injured by Israeli forces since the October 7 conflict between Israel and Hamas militants.

Fearing internal strife, Israel arms civilian security squads

Since the outbreak of the war, at least 1,405 Israelis have lost their lives, with 5,431 sustaining injuries.

Israeli soldiers hastily withdrew to Israel after attempting to repair the separation fence with Gaza. Their mission was to address the border barrier between Gaza and Israel, but they fell into a trap set by the Palestinians. This military ambush proved to be a challenging situation for the Israeli forces as they came under heavy fire from Palestinian fighters, resulting in a critical attack, according to the Israeli military.

Hamas Repulsed Israeli Ground Attack Near Khan Younis

The Qassam Brigades, the military wing of Hamas, announced that it successfully repelled an Israeli ground incursion near Khan Younis in the Gaza Strip, managing to destroy an Israeli tank and two bulldozers. In a statement released via the Telegram messaging app, the Qassam Brigades disclosed that their “fighters engaged an armored Israeli force in a well-prepared ambush to the east of Khan Yunis, just moments after it crossed the border by a few meters.”

“The fighters bravely engaged with the infiltrating force… and they returned to their bases safely,” the statement further emphasized.

Egypt Reports Soldiers Injured in Israeli ‘Accidental’ Shelling

Egypt’s military spokesperson confirmed that an undisclosed number of border guards sustained “minor injuries” due to “fragments of a shell accidentally fired from an Israeli tank” near the Gaza border. The Egyptian army conveyed that Israel promptly expressed regret over the unintentional incident and informed that an Israeli investigation is currently underway.

Palestinian Prime Minister Calls for International Action to Halt Gaza Attacks

Palestinian Prime Minister Mohammad Shtayyeh has urged the international community to form a “united front” to halt Israel’s attacks on Gaza. During a meeting with ambassadors, representatives, and consuls from around the world, he stressed, “We prioritize ending Israeli aggression and bringing in medical and relief aid to prevent a major humanitarian catastrophe.”