Twenty-one Israeli soldiers were killed during fighting in southern Gaza on Monday, the military said, in the biggest single loss of life for Israeli troops inside the battered enclave since the war with Hamas began.
Precise details are not yet clear but in a televised statement Tuesday Israel Defense Forces (IDF) spokesperson Rear Adm. Daniel Hagari said a tank that was protecting Israeli troops was hit by a rocket-propelled grenade (RPG). Israeli media reported that two soldiers in the tank were killed.
Simultaneously, two two-story buildings collapsed on soldiers following an explosion. Most of the Israeli forces killed were in or near the buildings, Hagari said.
“The buildings probably exploded because of the mines that our forces laid there, in preparation to demolish them and the infrastructure around,” he said.
It brings the total number of Israeli troops killed in the Gaza ground invasion to 219, Israel’s military said.
Another soldier was seriously injured in the same incident, Hagari added. The IDF told CNN on Tuesday it is “still not clear” what caused the building explosion.
This post has been updated with additional details.
