The Israeli military said 21 soldiers were killed in an attack by the Islamic group Hamas in the southern Gaza Strip, local media reported, saying it was the highest single-day death toll for Israeli forces since the military operation began. Masu.
As the death toll on both sides continues to rise, there are successive reports of negotiations toward a ceasefire, but Israel has not changed its policy of aiming for the destruction of Hamas, and there is no hope that this will ever come to fruition.
On the 23rd, an Israeli military spokesperson said that 21 soldiers were killed in a Hamas attack on a unit that had been working on demolishing a building in the southern Gaza Strip near the border with Israel the previous day. Announced.
Local media reported that more than 200 Israeli soldiers died in the operation, the highest number of casualties in a single day since the Israeli army began its military operation in the Gaza Strip in October last year.
Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu mourned the deaths and announced that an investigation would be launched, but he also emphasized his policy of annihilating Hamas, saying, ``We will continue fighting until complete victory.''
Meanwhile, on the 23rd, the Israeli military announced that it had surrounded Khan Yunis in the south, which is believed to be an important Hamas stronghold.
On the 23rd, the Palestinian Red Crescent Society, headquartered in Khan Younis, posted on social media that people who had taken shelter in the compound were injured due to Israeli shelling, and that ambulances were unable to transport the injured due to the attack. .
Gaza health authorities say 25,490 people have been killed in Israeli attacks so far, and the toll on both sides continues to rise.
Under these circumstances, the American news site Axios reported on the 22nd, citing Israeli officials, that Israel, with the mediation of Qatar and other countries, is asking Hamas to suspend fighting for up to two months in order to free all the hostages. I told him that I had proposed.
The proposal calls for the release of hostages, including women and the elderly, in stages.
CNN TV in the US has also reported that Israel is also proposing to allow Hamas leaders to leave the Gaza Strip.
However, some believe that this proposal is an attempt by Israel to weaken Hamas's control over the Gaza Strip or to assassinate its leaders who have fled abroad, and some point out that Hamas is unlikely to accept it. doing.