The Israeli military on Tuesday confirmed the death of five soldiers during intense combat in the Gaza Strip, marking one of the deadliest days for its forces in the territory this year.
The soldiers, aged between 20 and 28, were killed during operations in northern Gaza, the army said in a statement. Two other soldiers were severely wounded and are currently receiving treatment at a hospital. Their families have been notified, the military added.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who is in Washington for meetings with U.S. President Donald Trump, reacted to the loss with a message of mourning and resolve.
“All of Israel bows its head and mourns the fall of our heroic soldiers, who risked their lives in the battle to defeat Hamas and free all our hostages,”; Netanyahu wrote on X.
Reports from Israeli military correspondents suggest the casualties occurred in Beit Hanun when a series of improvised explosive devices (IEDs) detonated during operations. The situation escalated when soldiers attempting to evacuate the wounded came under fire.
President Isaac Herzog expressed his condolences, stating the impact of the losses.
“The unbearable news of the fall of five heroic sons in Gaza, most of them fighters of the ultra-Orthodox ‘Netzach Yehuda’ battalion, pierces the heart,”; Herzog posted on X.
Opposition leader Yair Lapid added his voice, calling for an end to the conflict: “For the sake of the fighters, for the sake of their families, for the sake of the hostages, for the sake of the State of Israel: this war must be ended.”;
The death toll of Israeli troops since the beginning of the Gaza conflict has now risen to at least 445, based on a tally from official figures.
Meanwhile, diplomatic efforts continue. Negotiators from Israel and Hamas resumed indirect talks in Doha on Sunday, but no major progress has been reported.
Monday’s session ended without a breakthrough, according to a Palestinian official familiar with the discussions.
U.S. President Trump’s special envoy, Steve Witkoff, is expected to join the talks this week in a renewed push for a ceasefire.
The U.S.-backed proposal reportedly includes a 60-day truce, during which Hamas would release 10 living hostages and several bodies in exchange for Palestinian detainees held in Israeli prisons.
Hamas, in turn, is demanding guarantees of Israeli withdrawal, a pause in hostilities during ongoing negotiations, and the reinstatement of the UN-led aid distribution system in Gaza, according to sources close to the talks.
The broader humanitarian crisis continues to deepen. Since the outbreak of the war, which began after Hamas’s October 7, 2023 attack that killed 1,219 people in Israel, the Israeli military response has left at least 57,523 people dead in Gaza, mostly civilians, according to figures from the Hamas-run health ministry. The United Nations regards those figures as credible.
