21 soldiers died in a deadly incident in Gaza

At least 21 soldiers were killed on Monday afternoon when two buildings with explosives in the city center collapsed on them. Gaza Strip, which represents the deadliest event for Israeli troops since the ground offensive in the enclave began on October 27.

“As far as we know, around four in the afternoon, terrorists fired an RPG at a tank that was protecting the forces, and at the same time there was an explosion in two two-story buildings,” Army spokesman Daniel Hagari.

The spokesman confirmed to the Hebrew media that the causes of the accident are being investigated, specifically whether the explosion was the result of mines planted by the troops themselves.

The incident occurred in the center of the Strip, near the border community of Kissufim, where the army announced that troops were destroying Hamas Islamist structures to create a security perimeter that would “allow residents of Israeli border communities to return to their homes.

He Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu He admitted that “yesterday was one of the most difficult days since the beginning of the war”, according to the statement in Hebrew, and he sympathized with the pain of the families of the dead. “heroic warriors”.

“I know that the lives of these families will change forever,” said the president.

He Israeli President Isaac Herzoghe mourned the death of fighters today on

“Intense battles are taking place in an extremely challenging space, and we are sending strength to soldiers and security forces, who are working with endless determination to achieve the objectives of the battle,” he said.

On its part, Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant He assured that “our hearts are with the dear families in these most difficult moments”, but in a warmongering message on the X social network, he called for the continuation of the war.

“This is a war that will determine the future of Israel for decades to come: the loss of soldiers forces us to achieve the objectives of the struggle,” Gallant added.

The Israel Defense Forces have so far revealed the identity of 17 dead soldiers and informed the other families, so the identity of the other four will be announced in the coming hours.

The total number of casualties in Israeli ranks is 219 with yesterday’s dead since the start of the ground offensive, to which should be added about 330 including soldiers killed during the brutal attack by Hamas on October 7 on Israeli soil.