Five Israeli soldiers killed in Gaza
The Israeli military says five soldiers were killed and two were seriously injured in an “incident” in northern Gaza.
The Times of Israel newspaper reported that another 12 soldiers were also wounded when a bomb planted on the side of a road exploded near the soldiers who were on foot at the time, in Beit Hanoon at about 10pm local time [19:00 GMT] on Monday.
Israeli army casualties: An overview
As we’ve been reporting, five Israeli soldiers were killed and 14 wounded in Beit Hanoon in northern Gaza, the latest military casualties since the start of the war:
- At least 887 officers and soldiers have been killed since October 2023, including 443 during ground operations in the Gaza Strip.
- Some 6,060 officers and soldiers have been wounded since the start of the war, including 2,768 during ground operations in Gaza.
- A total of 158 officers and soldiers are still receiving treatment in hospitals due to wounds sustained during fighting in Gaza, with 18 in serious condition.
- Since the beginning of 2025, 50 officers and soldiers have been killed in Gaza and at least 118 others wounded.
Israel’s Ben-Gvir calls on Netanyahu to withdraw from talks with Hamas
We have reported earlier that a roadside bomb killed at least five Israeli soldiers in northern Gaza’s Beit Hanoon yesterday evening.
Israeli minister of national security, Itamar Ben-Gvir, reacted to the news, calling on Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to “immediately return the delegation that went to negotiate with the Hamas murderers in Doha”.
“There is no need to negotiate with those who murder our fighters – they should be crushed to the bone, starved to death, and not suffocated with humanitarian aid that gives them oxygen,” he said in a statement published on Telegram.
He also called for a complete siege of Gaza, displacement of Palestinians and settlement of Israeli citizens in the enclave, saying “these are the keys to complete victory, and not a reckless deal that will release thousands of terrorists and withdraw [the Israeli army] from territories conquered with the blood of our fighters.”
Deadly attack on Israeli soldiers stirs tensions in Israel
The Israeli army has announced the killing of five soldiers in northern Gaza. Fourteen others were injured, including at least two described as being in critical condition.
A preliminary investigation has been opened, and what we understand is that the Israeli soldiers were attacked; then the unit that tried to come to their rescue was also attacked, and then a third group of soldiers that tried to extract them was also attacked.
So this was a complex attack that happened 500 metres (1,640 feet) away from the northern fence of Gaza. Beit Hanoon is an area that has been under Israeli military occupation since the beginning of the war in October 2023.
So there is a lot of commentary about that by Israeli politicians – that this is a completely outrageous event and, right now, according to some in the opposition, the military is in Gaza and the soldiers are dying not to protect Israel but to protect Netanyahu’s coalition government.
