By Euronews with AP

Published on 25/06/2025 - 12:10 GMT+2•Updated 15:22

Seven Israeli soldiers were killed in the southern Gaza city of Khan Younis when an explosive device attached to their armoured vehicle detonated, a spokesperson for the Israel Defence Forces (IDF) said on Wednesday.

The spokesperson added that attempts were made to rescue the soldiers, but without success.

Another soldier was wounded elsewhere in the Khan Younis region by weapons fire on Tuesday, the military said.

The Hamas militant group said on Telegram that it had ambushed Israeli soldiers taking cover inside a residential building.

It comes a day after Gaza hospitals reported that at least 44 people were killed on Tuesday in separate incidents in southern and central Gaza, when Israeli forces reportedly opened fire near a crowd of Palestinians who were waiting for aid.

Since the launch of Israel's operation against Hamas that started on 7 October 2023, more than 860 Israeli soldiers have died, over 400 of those while fighting in Gaza, according to Israeli reports.

The Hamas-run health ministry in Gaza says the war in the Strip has resulted in the deaths of more than 56,000 Palestinians, figures that do not distinguish between fighters and civilians.