JERUSALEM (AP) — Twenty-one squaddies have been killed within the Gaza Strip within the deadliest assault on Israel’s forces because the Oct. 7 Hamas raid that brought on the warfare, the army mentioned Tuesday, a big setback that would upload to mounting requires a cease-fire.Hours later, the army introduced that flooring forces had encircled the southern town of Khan Younis, Gaza’s 2nd biggest, the place dozens of Palestinians had been killed and wounded in heavy combating in contemporary days.Top Minister Benjamin Netanyahu mourned the warriors however vowed to press forward with the offensive till “absolute victory” over Hamas. He has additionally promised to go back over 100 hostages held captive in Gaza. However Israelis are increasingly more divided at the query of whether or not it’s conceivable to do both, and massive numbers of Israeli casualties have confused Israel’s govt to halt previous army operations.A senior Egyptian professional in the meantime mentioned Israel has proposed a two-month cease-fire during which the hostages can be freed in change for the discharge of Palestinians imprisoned by way of Israel and best Hamas leaders in Gaza can be allowed to relocate to different international locations.The professional, who was once now not approved to temporary media and spoke on situation of anonymity, mentioned Hamas rejected the proposal and is insisting that not more hostages might be launched till Israel ends its offensive and withdraws from Gaza. Israel’s govt declined to remark at the talks.The professional mentioned Egypt and Qatar, that have brokered previous agreements between Israel and Hamas, have been growing a multistage proposal to take a look at and bridge the gaps. Households of the hostages have known as for Israel to achieve a care for Hamas, pronouncing time is operating out to carry the hostages house alive.On Monday, Israeli reservists have been getting ready explosives to demolish two structures in central Gaza when a militant fired a rocket-propelled grenade at a tank within reach. The blast brought on the explosives, inflicting each two-story structures to cave in at the squaddies within.A minimum of 217 squaddies had been killed because the flooring offensive started in past due October, together with 3 killed in a separate match Monday, in keeping with the army.Netanyahu stated it was once “some of the toughest days” because the warfare started and mentioned the army would release an investigation. “Within the identify of our heroes, and for our personal lives, we will be able to now not forestall combating till absolute victory,” he wrote on X, previously referred to as Twitter.Israel introduced its offensive after Hamas crossed the border Oct. 7, killed over 1,200 other people and kidnapped some 250 others. Greater than 100 have been launched in November in change for a weeklong cease-fire and the discharge of 240 Palestinians imprisoned by way of Israel.The offensive has brought about popular destruction, displaced an estimated 85% of Gaza’s inhabitants and left over 25,000 Palestinians lifeless, in keeping with well being officers within the Hamas-run territory. The United International locations and world help companies say the combating has brought about a humanitarian crisis, with 1 / 4 of Gaza’s 2.3 million other people dealing with hunger.The warfare has heightened regional tensions, with Iran-backed teams in Lebanon, Syria, Iraq and Yemen attacking United States and Israeli objectives in give a boost to of Palestinians. The U.S. and Britain introduced every other wave of moves Monday in opposition to the Houthi rebels in Yemen, who’ve focused world delivery within the Crimson Sea in what they painting as a blockade of Israel.DEADLY FIGHTING IN THE CENTER AND SOUTHHamas is assumed to have suffered heavy losses however has endured to position up stiff resistance within the face of some of the deadliest air and flooring offensives in contemporary historical past. Militants are nonetheless struggling with Israeli forces around the territory and launching rockets into Israel.The assault that killed the warriors happened some 600 meters (yards) from the border in Maghazi, certainly one of 3 built-up refugee camps in central Gaza relationship again to the 1948 warfare surrounding Israel’s introduction.Floor operations had been centered at the camps, in addition to Khan Younis, after Israel claimed to have in large part defeated Hamas in northern Gaza in operations that brought about popular destruction to that a part of the territory, together with Gaza Town.The army mentioned its forces had killed dozens of militants in Khan Younis in contemporary days and had controlled to encircle the town. It didn’t supply proof, and it was once now not conceivable to independently ascertain information about the combating there.Israel believes Hamas commanders is also hiding in huge tunnel complexes underneath Khan Younis, the place of origin of the crowd’s best chief in Gaza, Yehya Sinwar, whose location is unknown. Hamas leaders also are believed to be the usage of hostages as human shields, additional complicating any rescue efforts.Gaza’s web and get in touch with networks collapsed once more Monday for the tenth time all over the warfare, posing every other problem for first responders and making it not possible for other people to achieve family members in several portions of the territory.PRESSURE FOR A CEASE-FIREThe rising dying toll and dire humanitarian state of affairs have ended in expanding world force on Israel to reduce the offensive and comply with a pathway for the introduction of a Palestinian state after the warfare. The USA, which has supplied a very powerful army help for the offensive, has joined the ones calls.However Netanyahu, whose reputation has plummeted since Oct. 7 and whose governing coalition is beholden to far-right events, has rebuffed each calls for.As a substitute, he has mentioned Israel will want to extend operations and sooner or later take over the Gaza facet of the border with Egypt, the place loads of hundreds of Palestinians who’ve fled from different spaces are packed into overflowing U.N.-run shelters and sprawling tent camps.That drew an offended protest from Egypt’s govt, which rejected Israeli allegations that Hamas smuggles in guns around the closely guarded frontier.Diaa Rashwan, head of Egypt’s State Data Carrier, mentioned Monday that any Israeli transfer to occupy the border space would “result in a significant risk” to family members between the 2 international locations, which signed a landmark peace treaty over 4 a long time in the past. Egypt may be deeply involved in any doable inflow of Palestinian refugees into its Sinai Peninsula.Rashwan mentioned Egypt was once in complete regulate of the border after taking a variety of measures lately, together with the introduction of a 5-kilometer (3-mile) buffer zone and the development of obstacles above and under flooring.Egypt “is in a position to protecting its pursuits and sovereignty over its land and borders, and won’t loan it within the arms of a gaggle of extremist Israeli leaders who search to pull the area right into a state of battle and instability,” Rashwan mentioned.___Jobain reported from Rafah, Gaza Strip. Related Press writers Samy Magdy in Cairo and Melanie Lidman in Jerusalem contributed to this record.
