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On January 23, the Israeli Defense Forces confirmed the largest losses as a result of a single attack in the Gaza Strip. The official representative of the IDF confirmed that more than 20 Israeli soldiers were killed during the fighting in the central part of the Palestinian enclave.
Last night, sources of the Al-Arabiya TV claimed that 22 Israeli soldiers were killed in the explosion of two buildings, the shelling of a tank and the explosion of a tunnel in Khan Yunis. 16 of the 22 Israeli soldiers reportedly entered the false tunnel entrance and died as a result of the tunnel explosion. Six more soldiers were killed when an anti-tank missile hit their armored vehicle. Six more servicemen are missing.
The IDF confirmed the incident, claiming deaths of 21 servicemen. According to the Israeli military, the soldiers carried out the demolition of the two adjacent buildings of the Hamas movement 600 m from the border of the Gaza Strip and Israel to create a buffer zone. At that time, representatives of the Palestinian movement attacked their tank that was providing security for Israeli fighters. Explosions thundered in two buildings at the same time: the buildings collapsed while most of the servicemen were inside.
“The IDF had planted explosives and were going to blow up” these buildings as part of the liquidation of infrastructure facilities. The army is “continuing to investigate [the incident] and is finding out the details of the incident and the cause of the explosion,” the IDF claimed.
In total, 200 Israeli soldiers have been killed since the start of the ground operation in the Gaza Strip on October 27, 2023, according to the IDF. The death toll of the Israeli army reached 535, since October 7, 2023, according to the Israeli official statistics. The number of wounded soldiers is 2,672.
