Four Israeli soldiers killed, several injured in Rafah explosion

Four Israeli soldiers were killed and several others were injured in the southern Gaza city of Rafah after an improvised explosive device (IED) allegedly planted by Hamas exploded.

The Israeli soldiers were ambushed during their operation against Palestinian resistance fighters in Rafah.

Among the dead was a woman troop, who was the first Israeli female soldier to be killed in combat with Hamas since October 7.

In the blast, one soldier and an officer suffered severe injuries, while two others sustained moderate wounds.

The Israeli army launched a ground invasion of Rafah on May 6 under the pretext of a "limited operation" against Hamas.

However, the city suffered massive devastation due to ferocious attacks by the Israeli forces. More than 1 million Palestinians were forcibly displaced, with little known about those who remained behind.

In August, Israeli officials claimed victory over Hamas in Rafah, having turned the city into a "ghost town."

The Rafah border crossing, which connects Gaza to Egypt, has remained closed since May 7 as the Israeli army escalated its military offensive, killing thousands of civilians who had taken refuge in the southern city, which had previously been declared a ‘safe zone.’

Despite the orders of the International Court of Justice (ICJ) to cease military operations in the Gaza Strip, the Israeli army has intensified its attacks on the enclave while simultaneously imposing an aid blockade on the starving Palestinians.

The overall Palestinian death toll since the beginning of Israel’s war on Gaza has reached at least 41,252 with more than 95,497 wounded. Thousands more remain trapped under the rubble of destroyed buildings.