JERUSALEM, Dec. 9 — Seven Israeli soldiers have been killed in the past two days in Lebanon and the Gaza Strip, Israel’s military said on Monday.
In southern Lebanon, two commanders and two soldiers were killed on Sunday as an explosion caused the collapse of a building.
The troops were in an underground structure when the building collapsed. The military said they were on an operation to search the area for Hezbollah militants.
The military added it was checking whether the explosion was caused accidentally by explosives put there earlier by another Israeli force.
Although a ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah went into effect on Nov. 27, Israeli troops remained in southern Lebanon and operated to prevent Hezbollah from deploying and to remove threats.
Under the ceasefire agreement, Israel is required to withdraw from southern Lebanon within 60 days.
On Monday, three soldiers were reported killed in the northern Gaza Strip. The three “have fallen during combat,” the military said in a statement.
Israel has been conducting a large-scale offensive against Hamas in Gaza, following a Hamas attack on Israel’s southern border on Oct. 7, 2023, in which about 1,200 people were killed and approximately 250 taken hostage.
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