Five Israeli soldiers killed in Gaza combat
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu lamented a 'difficult morning' as he visited Washington for talks with US President Donald Trump, who is pressing for a ceasefire in the more than 21-month war.
'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 posted on X.
The five soldiers aged between 20 and 28 'fell during combat in the northern Gaza Strip', the Israeli military said.
Two others were severely wounded and 'evacuated to a hospital to receive medical treatment', it said, adding their families had been notified.
Israeli military correspondents reported the deaths occurred when improvised explosive devices detonated in the area of Beit Hanun in the north of the territory.
During attempts to evacuate the wounded, soldiers reportedly came under fire.
'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,' President Isaac Herzog posted on X.
'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,' opposition leader Yair Lapid wrote.
- 'No breakthrough' -
The latest round of negotiations on the war in Gaza began on Sunday in Doha, with representatives of Israel and Palestinian militant group Hamas seated in different rooms in the same building.
Monday's session ended with 'no breakthrough', a Palestinian official familiar with the negotiations told AFP.
The Hamas and Israeli delegations were due to resume talks, with US President Donald Trump's special envoy Steve Witkoff also set to join them this week in an effort to secure a ceasefire.
The US proposal included a 60-day truce, during which Hamas would release 10 living hostages, taken during its October 2023 attack on Israel, and several bodies in exchange for Palestinians detained by Israel, Palestinian sources have said.
Hamas was also demanding certain conditions for Israel's withdrawal, guarantees against a resumption of fighting during negotiations, and the return of the UN-led aid distribution system, the sources close to the discussions told AFP.
At least 445 Israeli soldiers have been killed since the start of the war in the Gaza Strip, according to an AFP tally.
The war has created dire humanitarian conditions for the more than two million people in the Gaza Strip.
Hamas's October 7, 2023 attack resulted in the deaths of 1,219 people, mostly civilians, according to an AFP tally based on Israeli official figures.
Israel's retaliatory campaign has killed at least 57,523 people in Gaza, also mostly civilians, according to the Hamas-run territory's health ministry. The UN considers the figures reliable. – AFP
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