Strikes Kill Israeli Soldiers 07/08 06:31

   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.

   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.

   Soldiers attacked with explosive devices

   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.

   Abu Obeida, the spokesperson for Hamas' armed wing, said on Telegram that 
its fighters' operation in Beit Hanoun was an "additional blow" against what he 
described as a "weak" army in an area he said the Israeli military thought was 
safe. He added that "the most foolish decision Netanyahu could make would be to 
keep his forces inside the Gaza Strip."

   The soldiers were killed 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."

   Israeli strikes in southern and central Gaza

   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.

   Hopes for a ceasefire agreement soon

   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.