Israeli Military Suffers Major Loss of Troops in Gaza Demolition Incident
In a devastating turn of events, the Israeli military forces experienced their largest known loss of troops on Monday during a controlled demolition operation in Gaza. A total of 21 reserve soldiers lost their lives as they attempted to rig two buildings with mines for demolition. The incident occurred when Hamas commandos fired a rocket-propelled grenade at an Israeli tank that was protecting the soldiers. This caused a chain reaction, resulting in the collapse of the buildings and the tragic loss of lives.
The Israeli Defense Forces spokesperson, Rear Adm. Daniel Hagari, provided details about the incident, stating, “One of the missiles apparently hit a mine, which exploded and caused the buildings to collapse with the soldiers inside them.” The Qassam Brigades, the military wing of Hamas, released a statement that aligned with the Israeli military’s description of the attack. They claimed to have targeted the structure, leading to the explosion of the IDF’s ammunition and engineering equipment.
Controlled demolitions have become a common tactic used by Israeli forces in Gaza. The Israeli military justifies these actions by claiming that the targeted buildings house Hamas facilities or leaders, or to gain access to subterranean tunnels. However, in this particular incident, Rear Adm. Hagari revealed that the buildings were marked for demolition because they were situated in an area that Israel unilaterally declared as a “buffer zone” between Gaza and Israel. The purpose was to protect an Israeli kibbutz located nearby against potential future attacks.
This admission by the Israeli military indicates that their systematic destruction of areas in eastern Gaza is not solely aimed at destroying tunnels or Hamas infrastructure. It serves the purpose of depopulating more areas of Gaza in the name of security for nearby Israeli settlements. The IDF stated, “The IDF systematically demolishes Palestinian buildings that enable surveillance and firing capabilities toward Israel, leading to the destruction of hundreds of buildings to date.”
However, controlled demolitions within an occupied territory are generally prohibited under international humanitarian law unless they are “imperatively demanded by the necessities of war.” Despite this, IDF soldiers have been posting videos on social media platforms, such as TikTok, showcasing their gleeful participation in these demolitions. In one video, an Israeli soldier jokes about setting up a real estate company after knocking down houses in Khan Younis.
The destruction of Al-Isra University on January 17 further highlights the extent of these controlled demolitions. The Israeli military reportedly rigged the university with over 300 mines before conducting a triggering strike that leveled the entire campus. The humanitarian organization Euro-Med Human Rights Monitor described the explosion as occurring 70 days after the Israeli military transformed the school into barracks and a temporary detention facility.
The response from the international community has been mixed. State Department spokesperson Matthew Miller acknowledged seeing the video of the demolition but refused to comment on its legality or justification. Major U.S. and Israeli media outlets have started questioning the effectiveness of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s goals in the war against Hamas. The New York Times reported that Israel’s limited progress in dismantling Hamas has raised doubts within the military’s high command about achieving the country’s principal wartime objectives.
Prime Minister Netanyahu, however, remains resolute in his pursuit of victory. In response to the deaths of the soldiers, he declared, “While we bow our heads in memory of our fallen, we are not relenting — even for a moment — in striving for the goal that has no alternative — achieving total victory.” Israel’s Defense Minister Yoav Gallant echoed these sentiments, emphasizing that this war will determine the future of Israel for decades to come.
While Israel faces challenges in achieving its stated aims, the IDF continues to cause significant harm to Palestinian civilians. Their ground operations in Khan Younis have targeted shelters, including those run by the U.N., and laid siege to hospitals and medical facilities. The death toll among Palestinians has surpassed 25,000, with another 63,000 wounded. These figures do not account for the thousands of Palestinians trapped under rubble caused by Israeli bombardment.
As the Israeli media focuses on the loss of their soldiers’ lives, the plight of the trapped Palestinians receives little attention. They remain nameless statistics, often excluded from descriptions of the carnage in Gaza. The destruction is primarily enabled by U.S.-supplied and manufactured bombs. These victims have no official search-and-rescue operations or fire departments to respond to their pleas for help. Their only hope lies in the hands of their neighbors or their own desperate attempts to escape the wreckage.
The situation in Gaza remains dire, with no immediate resolution in sight. The international community must continue to monitor and address the humanitarian crisis unfolding in the region.
