Eight Israeli soldiers killed in fighting in Rafah

The Israeli army said the soldiers, all members of a combat engineering unit, were in the armored vehicle when it was hit by an explosion that detonated the engineering materials being transported.

They said the incident occurred in the early morning in the Tel al-Sultan area west of Rafah. The armed wing of the Hamas militant group said the vehicle became stuck in a minefield that had been laid.

Israeli tanks advanced into Tel al-Sultan and artillery shells rained down on the coastal area where thousands of Palestinians, many of whom have been displaced multiple times, were seeking refuge.

Fierce fighting continues in Rafah, in southern Gaza. Photo: Reuters

Despite negotiation efforts from all sides and pressure from the international community, a ceasefire agreement still seems far off in Gaza. Meanwhile, the situation is worsening as cross-border fighting between Hezbollah militants in Lebanon and Israel is escalating.

In an Israeli airstrike on two homes on the outskirts of Gaza City, residents said at least 15 people were killed. Four others died in separate attacks in the south of the territory, according to doctors.

The Israeli army said on Saturday that its forces in Rafah had seized a large quantity of weapons, both on the ground and hidden in a vast network of tunnels built by Hamas.

The deaths of the soldiers could further complicate the political situation facing Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. Tens of thousands of Israelis continued to gather in Tel Aviv on Saturday to protest, demanding that his government quickly reach an agreement to bring the hostages in Gaza home.

In a statement late Saturday, Netanyahu said there was no choice but to stick to the objectives of the war: defeating Hamas and bringing the hostages home.

Although surveys show strong public support in Israel for continuing the fight against Hamas, the protests highlight the divisions within Israeli society that have resurfaced after a period of unity since the start of hostilities.

The armed wing of the Islamic Jihad, the Al-Quds Brigades, said on Saturday that Israel could only get its hostages back in Gaza if it ended the war and withdrew its forces from the territory. More than 100 hostages are believed to remain held in Gaza, with at least 40 already declared dead by Israeli authorities.

Bui Huy (according to Reuters)

Source: https://www.congluan.vn/tam-binh-si-israel-thiet-mang-trong-chien-su-o-rafah-post299465.html