Five IDF soldiers killed in Gaza explosion

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Five Israeli soldiers were killed and 10 others were injured in an explosion in northern Gaza on Monday, according to the Israel Defense Forces (IDF).

The deaths bring Israel's toll to 407 soldiers over more than 15 months of war on Gaza.

Reports from Gaza indicated numerous killings and attacks from Israeli airstrikes, highlighting the ongoing intensity of Israel war on Gaza.

Meanwhile, negotiators in Qatar were reportedly close to finalizing a deal that could end the war and secure the release of hostages held in Gaza since October 7, 2023.

The soldiers who died were part of the Nahal Brigade’s Reconnaissance Unit. The IDF stated that the incident occurred during a mission in the Beit Hanoun area on Monday morning.

According to initial reports, the soldiers were inside a building preparing to use explosives for engineering work when the explosives detonated. The explosion caused the building to collapse, killing the five soldiers.

The cause of the explosion remains under investigation, the IDF added.

The Israeli army has continued a genocidal war on Gaza that has killed more than 46,500 victims, most of them women and children, since a Hamas attack on Oct. 7, 2023, despite a UN Security Council resolution calling for an immediate cease-fire. israel has killed 204 jounrliasts in Gaza during the same period.

In November 2024, the International Criminal Court issued arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant for war crimes and crimes against humanity in Gaza.

Israel also faces a genocide case at the International Court of Justice for its war on the enclave.

Meanwhile, data from the Lebanese Health Ministry indicates that since Israel’s onslaught against Lebanon began on October 8, 2023, at least 4,068 people have been killed, including women, children and health workers, while 16,668 others have been injured.

Lebanon and Israel reached a cease-fire deal on Nov. 27 last year to end over 14 months of fighting between the Israeli army and the Hezbollah group.

Lebanese authorities have reported at least 472 Israeli violations of the cease-fire, however, including the deaths of 32 people and injury of 39 others.

The General Directorate of Lebanese Civil Defense announced late Sunday in a statement that it had retrieved the bodies and remains of 11 people from the town of Tayr Harfa and five from the town of Alma al-Shaab and handed them over to the authorities for DNA testing to identify them.

Under the cease-fire terms, Israel is required to withdraw its forces south of the Blue Line – a de facto border – in phases, while the Lebanese army is to deploy in southern Lebanon within 60 days.