Five Israeli soldiers and 18 Palestinians have been killed in a series of attacks and retaliations in the Gaza Strip, the Associated Press reports, reports News.bg.
An Israeli security official said the soldiers were killed by explosive devices during an operation in the Beit Hanoun area of northern Gaza. Israeli forces came under fire from militants as they evacuated the wounded. According to the army, 14 soldiers were wounded in the attack, two of them in serious condition.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu expressed condolences for the dead, stressing that they "fell in the campaign to defeat Hamas and to free all our hostages."
Palestinian health services reported that an Israeli airstrike hit tents housing displaced people in Khan Younis, southern Gaza, killing four people. Another strike in the same area killed four more people, including a family of four - a mother, father and their two children.
The Israeli military did not immediately comment on the specific strikes, but again accused Hamas of using civilian areas as cover and conducting combat operations.
Meanwhile, Prime Minister Netanyahu is in the United States, where he discussed the situation in Gaza and issues related to Iran with US President Donald Trump.