Israeli Army Reports Four Soldiers Killed in Southern Gaza

The Israeli army announced on Tuesday that four Israeli soldiers were killed in clashes the previous day in southern Gaza. Israeli Army Radio reported on Tuesday, June 22, that this incident occurred on Monday following an explosion in a building in the Shaboura neighborhood of Rafah city. The army did not provide further details about the incident. The Izz ad-Din al-Qassam Brigades, the military wing of the extremist group Hamas, announced on Monday evening that its fighters had 'bombed' a building in the Shaboura refugee camp in Rafah. Hamas is listed as a terrorist organization by the European Union and the United States. In a statement, the group claimed that the Izz ad-Din al-Qassam forces 'were able to blow up a bomb-laden house' where an Israeli soldier was hiding, 'killing and injuring Israeli soldiers.' The Times of Israel reported that seven soldiers were also injured in this explosion, with five in critical condition. The army stated that with the latest casualties, the total number of Israeli military fatalities since the start of the ground offensive in Gaza on October 27 has reached 298. Since the controversial ground assault began on May 7 this year, the Israeli army has been engaged in street battles with Palestinian militants in Rafah. Foreign governments, including the United States, have opposed this operation due to concerns for the safety of Palestinian civilians sheltering in the city. Since then, more than one million people have fled the city seeking refuge. Following the October 15 attack by the extremist group Hamas on Israeli territory, which resulted in the deaths of about 1,200 Israelis and the abduction of over 200 to Gaza, the conflict between the two sides began, which, according to Palestinian sources, has left over 36,000 dead in the enclave. Meanwhile, according to a Lebanese military source and a war monitoring organization, Israel killed three members of Hezbollah by attacking a convoy of oil tankers entering Lebanon from Syria on Monday evening. This Iranian-backed militia has exchanged fire with Israeli forces almost daily since the Hamas attack on Israel that triggered the war in Gaza. An Israeli drone was targeted in Lebanese airspace. The military source told AFP that 'three Hezbollah members were killed in nine Israeli missile strikes that targeted a tanker convoy and a building in a northeastern village near the Syrian border.' He added that three others were also injured. The Israeli army stated that Israeli fighter jets 'attacked a military complex of Hezbollah unit 4400, a logistical support unit of the terrorist organization Hezbollah.' The army's statement noted that 'this unit is used for smuggling weapons in and out of Lebanon.' The statement added that the Israeli army also attacked two targets in the Baalbek area of eastern Lebanon. The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, based in Britain, reported that a total of five people were killed in the Israeli attack. Rami Abdulrahman, the director of this organization, told AFP that 'three Syrians working with Hezbollah and two Lebanese were killed in the Israeli attack on the tanker convoy entering Lebanon from the Syrian border.' The Israeli army announced that after one of its drones was shot down on Monday, it conducted further attacks in southern Lebanon. Hours before the attacks, Hezbollah announced that it had shot down an Israeli Hermes drone over Lebanon, marking the fifth such drone downed since February. Hezbollah, which has increased its use of drones, stated that on Monday it carried out several attacks on Israeli targets, including a drone strike on a military position in the Golan Heights occupied by Israel. According to AFP, over eight months of violence have resulted in at least 462 deaths in Lebanon, most of whom were armed individuals, but around 90 civilians are also among them. According to the Israeli army, on the Israeli side of the border, at least 15 soldiers and 11 civilians have been killed.