Nine Israeli soldiers have been killed in a series of ambushes and a double bombing in the single biggest loss of life for the country’s armed forces since the start of the ground invasion of Gaza.
The soldiers were killed in what appeared to be a well-coordinated surprise attack in the Shujaiyah neighbourhood in the north of the Gaza Strip. The troops there were in an “advance stage” of sweeping up the area and dismantling Hamas capabilities, according to the Israel Defense Forces (IDF).
The deaths late on Tuesday night included the most senior Israeli commander killed so far, and come as Israel faces intense international and domestic pressure to wind down its military campaign, which has killed some 15,000 people.
Patience is running thin among key allies, such as the US, while families of hostages held in Gaza are also demanding a ceasefire. The death toll of Israeli soldiers passed 100 this week.
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