4 Israeli soldiers killed in tank attack amid expanding Gaza City offensive

Four Israeli soldiers were killed on Monday in Gaza City after their tank was hit by an explosive device planted by Hamas militants, the Israeli military said in a statement.

According to an initial investigation by the Israeli army, three Hamas militants approached a tank stationed on the outskirts of Sheikh Radwan, a neighborhood in northwestern Gaza City, at dawn. They opened fire on the tank and threw an explosive device into one of its hatches, setting it ablaze and killing all four soldiers inside.

Israeli troops later identified the three militants and opened fire, hitting one of them, the military said. An Israeli soldier was moderately injured during the incident.

The total number of Israeli soldiers killed since October 2023 has risen to 903, according to Israeli figures.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said in a video statement that Israeli forces have destroyed 50 multi-story buildings in Gaza over the past two days.

"All of this is just an introduction, just a prelude, to the main, intensified operation – a ground maneuver by our forces, which are now organizing and gathering, moving into Gaza City," Netanyahu said, warning local residents to evacuate.

Netanyahu's remarks came as Israeli forces intensified air strikes on Gaza City on Monday, including the demolition of the "Vision" tower, a 14-story office building in the western part of the city.

'Gone off the rails'

The Ministerial Committee formed by the Joint Arab-Islamic Extraordinary Summit on Gaza issued a joint statement on Monday condemning the Israeli polices of uprooting the Palestinians, either by expanding the military operations in Gaza or by using siege and starvation as methods of war.

"Israel's illegal practices and violations are a direct threat to international law and international order," said the committee that includes the foreign ministers of Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Qatar and Palestine, along with the heads of the Arab League and the Organization of Islamic Cooperation.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said after a cabinet meeting that Netanyahu's government had "completely gone off the rails," adding that the Turkish people "stand with the oppressed people of Gaza with all the means at our disposal."

In a speech delivered at a virtual BRICS summit, Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah al-Sisi reiterated Egypt's "unwavering position that categorically rejects any scenario aimed at displacing Palestinians from their land, under any pretext," warning that such moves would "liquidate the Palestinian cause, suppress the two-state solution, expand the scale of the conflict, and jeopardize the peace process in the Middle East."

During a bilateral meeting in London on Monday, UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer and Palestinian President Mahmud Abbas discussed the need for an urgent solution to end the suffering and famine in Gaza and the release of hostages held by Hamas.

Abbas welcomed the UK's "pledge to recognize a Palestinian state ahead of the UN General Assembly meeting later this month, unless Israel changes its course," according to a Downing Street spokesperson.

More tents needed

Israel's ongoing offensive in Gaza has devastated the enclave of 2.2 million people, causing displacement, famine and killing more than 64,522 people, according to Gaza-based health authorities.

The United Nations estimates that over 1.3 million Gazans currently lack tents, and further displacement is anticipated as Israel conducts a major assault on Gaza City.

The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs said that humanitarian groups had sent "a limited number of tents" into Gaza in recent weeks, but stressed that far more were needed.

The International Committee of the Red Cross said on Monday it has distributed over 300 tents to displacement camps in southern Gaza in recent days, but warned that the current supply of shelter materials to the enclave falls far short of urgent needs on the ground.

(With input from agencies)