Four Israeli soldiers killed in explosion in Gaza refugee camp: Army

Jerusalem, Sep 18: The Israeli military announced on Wednesday that four of its soldiers were killed by an explosion in the southern Gaza Strip the previous day.

Three male soldiers and one female combat paramedic died on Tuesday in the Tel al-Sultan refugee camp, where a hidden explosive device detonated when they raided a building, according to a military statement.

The explosion also caused partial collapse of the structure.

In the same incident, an officer and two soldiers were seriously injured, while two other soldiers sustained moderate injuries, Xinhua news agency reported.

The latest incident brings the death toll of Israeli soldiers in Gaza to 348 since the beginning of the military's ground offensive in the Palestinian enclave on October 27, 2023, according to Israeli figures.

The ground offensive followed a Hamas rampage through the southern Israeli border on Oct. 7, 2023, during which Hamas militants killed 1,200 people and took about 250 hostages.

The Palestinian death toll from ongoing Israeli attacks in the Gaza Strip has risen to 41,272, Gaza-based health authorities said in a statement on Wednesday.