5 Israeli soldiers killed in northern Gaza and 18 Palestinians dead in
Israeli strikes
[July 08, 2025]
By TIA GOLDENBERG, FATMA KHALED and WAFAA SHURAFA
TEL AVIV, Israel (AP) — Five Israeli soldiers were killed in an attack
in Gaza, the Israeli military said Tuesday, while health officials in
the Palestinian territory said 18 people were killed in Israeli strikes.
The bloodshed came as Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was
visiting the White House for talks with U.S. President Donald Trump
about a ceasefire plan to pause the Gaza fighting. While there was no
announcement of a breakthrough, there were signs of progress toward a
deal.
The killings of the soldiers could add to the pressure on Netanyahu to
strike a deal in Israel, where polls have shown widespread support for
ending the war.
An Israeli security official said explosive devices were detonated
against the soldiers during an operation in the Beit Hanoun area in
northern Gaza, which was an early target of the war and an area where
Israel has repeatedly fought regrouping militants.
Militants also opened fire on the forces who were evacuating the wounded
soldiers, the official said. The official spoke on condition of
anonymity because he wasn’t authorized to discuss the incident with the
media.
The military said 14 soldiers were wounded in the attack, two of them
seriously. It brings the toll of soldiers killed to 888 since the war
against Hamas began in 2023.
The soldiers died roughly two weeks after Israel reported one of its
deadliest days in months in Gaza, when seven soldiers were killed after
a Palestinian attacker attached a bomb to their armored vehicle.
In a statement, Netanyahu sent his condolences for the deaths, saying
the soldiers fell “in a campaign to defeat Hamas and to free all of our
hostages.”
Health officials at the Nasser Hospital, where victims of the Israeli
strikes were taken, said one of the strikes targeted tents sheltering
displaced people in Khan Younis in southern Gaza, killing four people. A
separate strike in Khan Younis killed four people, including a mother,
father, and their two children, officials said.
In central Gaza, Israeli strikes hit a group of people, killing 10
people and injuring 72 others, according to a statement by Awda Hospital
in Nuseirat.
The Israeli military had no immediate comment on the strikes, but it
blames Hamas for any harm to civilians, saying the militant group
operates out of populated areas.
The fighting has pushed the health care system in Gaza close to
collapse. On Tuesday, the Palestine Red Crescent said the Al-Zaytoun
Medical Clinic in Gaza City ceased operations after shelling in the
surrounding area. It said the closure would force thousands of civilians
to walk long distances to get medical care or obtain vaccinations for
children.
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Israeli army vehicles moves in the Gaza Strip as seen from southern
Israel on Sunday, July 6, 2025. (Photo/Ohad Zwigenberg)
Trump has made clear that, following last month’s 12-day war between
Israel and Iran, he would like to see the 21-month Gaza conflict end
soon. Netanyahu's visit to Washington may give new urgency to the
ceasefire proposal.
White House officials are urging both sides to quickly seal an
agreement that would bring about a 60-day pause in the fighting,
send aid flooding into Gaza and free at least some of the remaining
50 hostages held in the territory, 20 of whom are believed to be
living.
A senior Israeli official said that 80-90% of the details had been
ironed out and that a final agreement could be days away. The
official spoke on condition of anonymity because they weren’t
authorized to discuss the sensitive negotiations with the media.
A sticking point has been whether the ceasefire will end the war
altogether. Hamas has said it is willing to free all the hostages in
exchange for an end to the war and a full Israeli withdrawal from
Gaza. Netanyahu says the war will end once Hamas surrenders, disarms
and goes into exile — something it refuses to do.
The war began when Hamas attacked Israel on Oct. 7, 2023, killing
some 1,200 people and taking 251 others hostage. Most have been
released in earlier ceasefires. Israel responded with an offensive
that has killed over 57,000 Palestinians, more than half of them
women and children, according to Gaza’s Health Ministry.
The ministry, which is under Gaza’s Hamas government, does not
differentiate between civilians and combatants. The U.N. and other
international organizations see its figures as the most reliable
statistics on war casualties.
___
Khaled reported from Cairo and Shurafa from Deir al-Balah, Gaza
Strip.
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