Gaza: 24 Israeli soldiers killed during operation in Khan Younis

The Israeli military says its ground forces have “encircled” the city of Khan Younis in the southern Gaza Strip after 24 of its soldiers were killed in the enclave in its largest single-day toll in the three-month war.

“Over the past day, troops carried out an extensive operation during which they encircled Khan Younis and deepened the operation in the area,” the military said in a statement on Tuesday, calling the city a stronghold of the Palestinian armed group Hamas.

“Ground troops engaged in close-quarters combat, directed [air] strikes and used intelligence to coordinate fire, resulting in the elimination of dozens of terrorists,” it said of the attacks on Gaza’s second-largest city.

In a statement, the army said the fatalities were reserve soldiers aged 22 to 37, adding three others were killed elsewhere also on Monday.

On the army’s worst one-day loss, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said, “While we bow our heads in memory of our fallen, we are not relenting, even for a moment, in striving for the goal that has no alternative — achieving total victory.”