Explosive kills 7 Israeli soldiers in Gaza inside an armoured vehicle, military says
JERUSALEM — The Israeli military says seven Israeli soldiers have been killed in the southern Gaza Strip when a Palestinian attacker attached a bomb to their armored vehicle while Palestinians health officials in the battered enclave reported that 79 people were killed in Israeli attacks across the strip Wednesday.
The attack on the Israeli troops, which occurred on Tuesday, was one of the deadliest for the army in Gaza in months, and quickly drew the nation's attention back to the grinding conflict with the Hamas militant group after nearly two weeks of war between Israel and Iran.
Among the 79 reported killed in Gaza were 33 people who died while trying to access aid.
Israel returns its attention to Gaza
Israel has been fighting in Gaza since the Hamas-led attack on Israel on Oct. 7, 2023. U.S.-led ceasefire efforts have repeatedly stalled in the conflict.
Brig. Gen. Effie Defrin, the army's chief spokesman, said the soldiers were attacked in the southern Gaza city of Khan Younis, where the army has operated on and off throughout much of the war.
'Helicopters and rescue forces were sent to the spot. They made attempts to rescue the fighters, but without success,' he said.
The army said another soldier was seriously wounded in a separate incident in Khan Younis. It gave no further details, but Hamas claimed on its Telegram channel it had ambushed Israeli soldiers taking cover inside a residential building in the area.
Over 860 Israeli soldiers have been killed since the war began with the Oct. 7, 2023, Hamas attack, including more than 400 during the fighting in Gaza.
The initial Hamas attack killed some 1,200 people, mostly civilians, and took 251 others hostage. Some 50 hostages remain in captivity, at least 20 of whom are believed to still be alive.
Palestinians eager for a ceasefire of their own
Some Palestinians in Gaza City expressed frustration Wednesday that the war in the territory has dragged on for nearly two years, while the conflict between Israel and Iran lasted 12 days before a fragile ceasefire was reached.
'I live in a tent and now my tent is gone too and we're living in suffering here. The war between Israel and Iran ended in less than two weeks and we've been dying for two years,' said Um Zidan, a woman displaced from northern Gaza.
Gaza health authorities had announced on Tuesday that the number of Palestinians killed in the war has risen above 56,000. Israel's blockade and military campaign have driven the population to the brink of famine.
Mazen al-Jomla, a displaced resident of Shati camp, questioned why war in the coastal enclave has stretched on, noting that Israel's assault on Iran was based on accusations of possessing nuclear weapons.
'We have been suffering for two years; from horrors, destruction, martyrs and injured people,' he said. 'What do they (Israel) have left here? There are no houses, trees, or rocks, or humans left. Everything was destroyed.'
Deadliest round of fighting
The Israeli offensive has devastated Gaza and killed over 56,000 people, according to Gaza's Health Ministry, a branch of the Hamas government.
The death toll is by far the highest in any round of Israeli-Palestinian fighting. The ministry doesn't distinguish between civilians and combatants but says more than half of the dead were women and children.
The ministry said the dead include 5,759 who have been killed since Israel resumed fighting on March 18, shattering a two-month ceasefire.
Israel says it only targets militants and blames civilian deaths on Hamas, which operates in heavily populated areas. Israel says over 20,000 Hamas militants have been killed, though it has provided no evidence to support that claim. Hamas has not commented on its casualties.
Palestinian woman killed in Jerusalem
Meanwhile, a local Palestinian official in the occupied West Bank said Israeli forces shot and killed a 66-year-old Palestinian woman during a raid in east Jerusalem.
Israeli police said they were investigating the incident, saying a woman had arrived at a military checkpoint with 'serious penetrating injuries' and been pronounced dead.
Marouf Al-Refai, the Palestinian official, said Israeli forces stormed the Shuafat refugee camp overnight, killing Zahia Obeidi with a shot to the head around 10 p.m. and seizing her body thereafter.
Israeli forces arrested her husband and sons later that night, Refai said. Their whereabouts were not immediately known, and police had no further details.
Israel captured east Jerusalem, including the Old City and its holy sites sacred to Jews, Christians and Muslims, in the 1967 Mideast war.
It considers the area to be part of its capital – a move that is not internationally recognized. Palestinians want an independent state with east Jerusalem as its capital.
Julia Frankel, The Associated Press
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
CTV News
31 minutes ago
- CTV News
Hundreds of thousands mourn top Iranian military commanders and scientists killed in Israeli strikes
People mourn over the flag-draped coffins of Iranian nuclear scientists who were killed in Israeli strikes, during a funeral ceremony in Tehran. Iran, Saturday, June 28, 2025. (AP Photo/Vahid Salemi) DUBAI, United Arab Emirates — Hundreds of thousands of mourners lined the streets of downtown Tehran on Saturday for the funeral of the head of the Revolutionary Guard and other top commanders and nuclear scientists killed during a 12-day war with Israel. The caskets of Guard's chief Gen. Hossein Salami, the head of the Guard's ballistic missile program, Gen. Amir Ali Hajizadeh and others were driven on trucks along the capital's Azadi Street as people in the crowds chanted: 'Death to America' and 'Death to Israel.' Salami and Hajizadeh were both killed on the first day of the war, June 13, as Israel launched a war it said meant to destroy Iran's nuclear program, specifically targeting military commanders, scientists and nuclear facilities. State media reported more than one million people turned out for the funeral procession, which was impossible to independently confirm, but the dense crowd packed the main Tehran thoroughfare along the entire 4.5 kilometre (nearly three mile) route. There was no immediate sign of Iran's Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, in the state broadcast of the funeral. Khamenei, who has not made a public appearance since before the outbreak of the war, has in past funerals held prayers for fallen commanders over their caskets before the open ceremonies, later aired on state television. Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi was on hand, and state television reported that Gen. Esmail Qaani, who heads the foreign wing of the Revolutionary Guard, the Quds Force, and Gen. Ali Shamkhani were also among the mourners. Shamkhani, an adviser to Khamenei who was wounded in the first round of Israel's attack and hospitalized, was shown in a civilian suit leaning on a cane in an image distributed on state television's Telegram channel. Iran's Revolutionary Guard was created after its 1979 Islamic Revolution. Since it was established, it has evolved from a paramilitary, domestic security force to a transnational force that has come to the aid of Tehran's allies in the Middle East, from Syria and Lebanon to Iraq. It operates in parallel to the country's existing armed forces and controls Iran's arsenal of ballistic missiles, which it has used to attack Israel twice during the Israel-Hamas war in the Gaza Strip. Over 12 days before a ceasefire was declared on Tuesday, Israel claimed it killed around 30 Iranian commanders and 11 nuclear scientists, while hitting eight nuclear-related facilities and more than 720 military infrastructure sites. More than 1,000 people were killed, including at least 417 civilians, according to the Washington-based Human Rights Activists group. Iran fired more than 550 ballistic missiles at Israel, most of which were intercepted, but those that got through caused damage in many areas and killed 28 people. Saturday's ceremonies were the first public funerals for top commanders since the ceasefire, and Iranian state television reported that they were for 60 people in total, including four women and four children. Authorities closed government offices to allow public servants to attend the ceremonies. Many in the crowd expressed feelings of anger and defiance. 'This is not a ceasefire, this is just a pause,' said 43-year-old Ahmad Mousapoor, waving an Iranian flag. 'Whatever they do, we will definitely give a crushing response.' State media published images of an open grave plot at Tehran's sprawling Behesht-e-Zahra cemetery where army chief of staff, Gen. Mohammad Bagheri, who was killed on the first day of the war, was to be buried beside his brother, a Guards commander killed during the 1980s Iran-Iraq war. Many of the others were to be buried in their hometowns. The Iranian judiciary's Mizan news agency confirmed that the top prosecutor at the notorious Evin prison had been killed in an Israeli strike on Monday. It reported that Ali Ghanaatkar, whose prosecution of dissidents led to widespread criticism by human rights groups, would be buried at a shrine in Qom. Iran has always insisted its nuclear program is only for peaceful purposes. But Israel views it as an existential threat and said its military campaign was necessary to prevent Iran from building an atomic weapon. Khamenei's last public appearance was June 11, two days before hostilities with Israel broke out, when he met with Iranian parliamentarians. On Thursday, however, he released a pre-recorded video, in his first message since the end of the war, filled with warnings and threats directed toward the United States and Israel, the Islamic Republic's longtime adversaries. The 86-year-old downplayed U.S. strikes on three Iranian nuclear sites as having not achieved 'anything significant' and claimed victory over Israel. The head of the United Nations nuclear watchdog agency, Rafael Grossi, has characterized the damage done by American bunker-buster bombs to Iran's Fordo nuclear site, which was built into a mountain, as 'very, very, very considerable.' David Rising, The Associated Press
Winnipeg Free Press
an hour ago
- Winnipeg Free Press
Irish rap group Kneecap set to play at Glastonbury despite criticism from politicians
PILTON, England (AP) — Irish-language rap group Kneecap is set to perform Saturday at the Glastonbury Festival despite criticism by British politicians and a terror charge for one of the trio. Liam Óg Ó hAnnaidh, who performs under the stage name Mo Chara, has been charged under the Terrorism Act with support a proscribed organization for allegedly waving a Hezbollah flag at a concert in London in November. He is on unconditional bail ahead of a further court hearing in August. The Belfast trio has been praised for invigorating the Irish-language cultural scene in Northern Ireland, but also criticized for lyrics laden with expletives and drug references and for political statements. The band draws, often satirically, on the language and imagery of the Irish republican movement and Northern Ireland's decades of violence. Videos have emerged allegedly showing the band shouting 'up Hamas, up Hezbollah' and calling on people to kill lawmakers. Members of the group say they don't support Hezbollah or Hamas, nor condone violence. They have accused critics of trying to silence the band because of their support for the Palestinian cause throughout the war in Gaza. Several Kneecap gigs have been canceled as a result of the controversy. U.K. Prime Minister Keir Starmer said, when asked by a journalist, that it would not be 'appropriate' for the festival to give Kneecap a platform. Opposition Conservative Party leader Kemi Badenoch said the publicly funded BBC should not broadcast 'Kneecap propaganda.' The BBC, which airs many hours of Glastonbury performances, has not said whether it will show Kneecap's set. Some 200,000 ticket holders have gathered at Worthy Farm in southwest England for Britain's most prestigious summer music festival, which features almost 4,000 performers on 120 stages. Headline acts performing over three days ending Sunday include Neil Young, Charli XCX, Rod Stewart, Busta Rhymes, Olivia Rodrigo and Doechii. Glastonbury highlights on Friday included a performance from U.K. rockers The 1975, an unannounced set by New Zealand singer Lorde, a raucous reception for Gen X icon Alanis Morissette and an emotional return for Scottish singer Lewis Capaldi, two years after he took a break from touring to adjust to the impact of the neurological condition Tourette syndrome.
CTV News
an hour ago
- CTV News
‘So terrifying': Iranian student on fleeing back to safety in Canada amid conflict
A damaged car is seen on Thursday, June 26, 2025, after an Israeli airstrike on early Tuesday, in Tehran, Iran. THE CANADIAN PRESS/AP-Vahid Salemi Arash Ghaderi can't forget the moment his wife tearfully woke him up to tell him a war had just started. Ghaderi, a 35-year-old PhD student at the University of Alberta, and his wife travelled last month to Iran to visit their family members. The couple was still there when the conflict between Israel and Iran broke out on June 13. '(On) the very first day of the war, we heard some bombings and we heard the jets flying low to the ground. It was so terrifying,' he said in an interview. 'My wife's family members, her nieces and nephews, were there and they were crying ...The noise was so horrifying,' he said of their experience in Zanjan, a city located about 300 kilometres northwest of Tehran. 'I just tried my best to control myself and try to calm my wife down, but in my heart I was so shocked and I was feeling so bad. I wanted to vomit actually.' Ghaderi is one of many Iranians living in Canada who have been affected by the war that broke out when Israel attacked Iranian nuclear facilities and senior military leaders, and Iran responded with its own strikes. A ceasefire was announced on Tuesday, after the United States launched strikes on key nuclear facilities in Iran. Earlier this week, Tehran said 606 people in Iran had been killed in the conflict, with 5,332 people wounded. At least 28 people were killed in Israel and more than 1,000 were wounded, according to officials in that country. Ottawa has urged Canadians in Iran to leave if they can do so safely, noting that its ability to provide consular services in the country is 'extremely limited.' Ghaderi said he and his wife decided to leave Iran through a land border crossing after all flights were cancelled at the start of the conflict. They travelled seven hours in a van before crossing into Turkey. All domestic flights in Turkey were fully booked for days, so they had to take several buses between Turkish cities for about 28 hours to reach Istanbul. 'I couldn't feel my legs anymore,' he said of the long journey. Ghaderi and his wife eventually flew to Edmonton from Istanbul via Paris and Toronto, landing on June 23. 'I was happy on the way, on one hand, that at least my wife and I are safe now,' he said. 'On the other hand, I was feeling so bad because my little brother is still in Iran, and my parents are there.' Sara Shani, the president of the Iranian Students Association at the University of Alberta, said she is aware of about 15 students at the school who got stuck in Iran while visiting their home country. 'They are stuck back home and ... since the ceasefire, the flights have technically resumed, but they're still very limited,' she said. Shani said some of the roughly 500 Iranian students at the university are already facing financial difficulties as their families back home are unable to support them – either because they've lost income and assets during the conflict or because they're unable to transfer money to Canada. 'When the internet shutdown was sort of in place in Iran ... it made it extremely difficult for the families to send money, and on top of that, many businesses were closed during the war,' she said. 'And some were even destroyed by Israeli economy in Iran is now weaker than before.' Shani said she had difficulty contacting her own family in Iran during the war. 'Many of us didn't know whether our families were safe,' she said. Iran is a notable source of international students in Canada, with government data showing that more than 8,000 study permits were approved for students from that country in 2023. 'Most Iranian students in Canada have only recently left home to study here, so our ties to Iran are still very strong,' said Shani, who came to Canada in 2023 to pursue a master's degree in computer science. 'Our families are back there and I think emotionally we are still in Iran.' The community also has mixed emotions about the strikes against Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps leadership, which 'continues to be a source of oppression for Iranians both within and outside Iran,' said Ali Nejati, president of the Iranian Student Association at Humber College in Toronto. 'Many of us feel a sense of relief at the weakening of such a violent arm of the regime. We had hoped to see justice served in a courtroom, to expose the full extent of their crimes and hold them accountable through international legal channels,' he wrote in a statement. 'We also recognize that war is never a desirable path. Many of our members feel anxious about the consequences of further escalation.' With files from The Associated Press This report by The Canadian Press was first published June 28, 2025. Maan Alhmidi, The Canadian Press
