JERUSALEM—Palestinian terrorists carried out the deadliest single attack on Israeli forces in Gaza since the Hamas raid that triggered the war, killing 21 soldiers, the military said Tuesday.
Hours later, the military announced that ground forces had encircled the southern city of Khan Younis, Gaza’s second largest, and thick, black smoke could be seen rising over the city.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu mourned the Israeli soldiers, who died when the blast from a rocket-propelled grenade triggered explosives they were laying to blow up buildings. But he vowed to press ahead until “absolute victory,” including crushing the Hamas terrorist group and freeing more than 100 Israeli hostages still held by the terrorists.
Israeli reservists were preparing explosives Monday to demolish two buildings outside central Gaza’s Maghazi refugee camp, near the Israeli border, when a terrorist fired a rocket-propelled grenade at a tank nearby. The blast triggered the explosives, collapsing both two-story buildings onto the soldiers.
Israeli media said the troops were working to create an informal buffer zone, about a kilometer (half a mile) wide along the border to prevent terrorists from attacking Israeli communities near Gaza. Military spokesperson Daniel Hagari said the mission was to clear buildings to “create the conditions” that would allow the residents of the south to return to their homes.
At least 217 soldiers have been killed since the ground offensive began in late October, including three killed in a separate event Monday, according to the military.
Mr. Netanyahu acknowledged on social media that it was “one of the hardest days” of the war but vowed to keep up the offensive.
“We are in the middle of a war that is more than justified. In this war, we are making big achievements, like the encircling of Khan Younis, and there are also very heavy losses,” he later said in a video statement.
Israel launched its offensive after Hamas terrorists crossed the border Oct. 7, killing over 1,200 people and abducting some 250 others. More than 100 were released in November during a weeklong cease-fire.
The offensive has caused widespread death and destruction, killing at least 25,490 people and wounding another 63,354, according to the Hamas-controlled Gaza Health Ministry. Its count does not differentiate between civilians and terrorists.
Israel’s offensive has focused for weeks on Khan Younis and several urban refugee camps in central Gaza, after the military claimed to have largely defeated Hamas in the north.
Israel believes Hamas commanders may be hiding in tunnels beneath Khan Younis, the hometown of the group’s top leader in Gaza, Yehya Sinwar, whose location is unknown.
