A mourner holds an Israeli flag, ahead of the funeral of Israeli soldier Sergeant Maayan Baruch Pearlstein, who was killed amid the ongoing conflict in Gaza between Israel and Hamas, in Misgav, Israel, June 25, 2025. Photo: REUTERS/Florion Goga

The Israeli military said seven soldiers were killed in a single attack in southern Gaza on Tuesday, the military’s deadliest day in the territory since a ceasefire with Hamas ended in March.

A lieutenant, three staff sergeants, and three sergeants, members of a combat engineering battalion, were killed when an explosive device planted on the armored vehicle they were traveling in ignited a fire, the military said on Wednesday.

The latest deaths are likely to increase public pressure on Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to reach a ceasefire in Gaza and end the nearly two-year-long war, a move strongly opposed by some members of his right-wing ruling coalition.

Public support for Netanyahu collapsed after the Oct. 7, 2023, Hamas-led invasion of and massacre across southern Israel from Gaza, which exposed Israel to its deadliest security failure.

But his standing has been boosted by his surprise decision to strike Iran — a campaign widely viewed as dealing a significant blow to Israel’s longtime adversary. Iran is also a major backer of Hamas, providing the Palestinian terrorist group with weapons and funding.

Attention has shifted back to Gaza following US President Donald Trump’s announcement of a truce between Israel and Iran that came into effect on Tuesday and continues to hold.

Hamas’s military wing confirmed that it had carried out the deadly attack in Khan Younis, southern Gaza, on Tuesday. It said its fighters had also fired an anti-tank missile at another vehicle that came to help.

The deadliest day for the Israeli military since the war started was in January 2024, when 24 soldiers were killed, 20 of them in a single explosion.

HOSTAGES

The Gaza war has persisted despite mounting domestic and international calls for a ceasefire and to secure the release of the remaining hostages, as coalition members Itamar Ben-Gvir and Bezalel Smotrich have pressed to keep fighting.

Netanyahu‘s right-wing coalition of secular and religious parties holds a narrow parliamentary majority, meaning the prime minister can ill afford dissent.

The Hostages and Missing Families Forum, which represents the relatives of some captives, this week called on the United States to push for a comprehensive deal that would secure the release of the hostages.

Twenty hostages remain in captivity in Gaza, while Hamas is also holding the bodies of 30 who have died.

Netanyahu has demanded that Hamas, which has ruled Gaza for nearly two decades, release the hostages, relinquish any future role in Gaza, and lay down its weapons in order to end the war.

Hamas has said it would release the hostages if Israel agrees to a permanent ceasefire and withdraws from Gaza. It has refused to discuss disarmament.

The war in Gaza was triggered when Hamas-led terrorists attacked Israel on Oct. 7, 2023, killing close to 1,200 people and taking 251 hostages.

Most of the hostages released so far have been freed through indirect negotiations between Hamas and Israel. Others were rescued during Israeli military operations.