Four Israeli Soldiers Killed in Gaza Fighting

The Israeli military has confirmed the deaths of four soldiers in southern Gaza. The soldiers were identified as Major Tal Pshebilski Shaulov, Staff Sgt. Eitan Karlsbrun, Sgt. Yair Levin, and Sgt. Almog Shalom. They were killed in an explosion in the Shabura neighborhood of Rafah, caused by a booby-trapped building that collapsed. Six other soldiers were injured, five of them seriously. The incident occurred when the soldiers, part of the Givati Brigade’s reconnaissance unit, were attempting to neutralize potential traps in the building. An initial investigation suggested that the building may have had a tunnel beneath it, linked to a Hamas member involved in the 2006 abduction of Israeli soldier Gilad Shalit.

In a separate incident, Israeli forces killed four Palestinians in the occupied West Bank on Monday. The incident took place in Kfar Naima, north-west of Ramallah, when Israeli police attempted to arrest a suspect. The Israeli military reported that the group tried to flee in a vehicle and attempted to "run over forces." One of the deceased was accused of setting fire to a caravan in a nearby settler outpost. Palestinian officials reported that at least 524 Palestinians have been killed in the West Bank since the beginning of the conflict between Israel and Hamas in Gaza. In response to the killings, Palestinian President Mahmud Abbas called for a general strike in Ramallah.