Israel intensifies Gaza bloodshed as soldiers blown up amid ceasefire talks

Israel intensified its war on Gaza as five soldiers died from a roadside bomb attack- even as ceasefire negotiations are underway.

The troops died overnight as two bombs were detonated near their vehicle during an operation in the Beit Hanoun area, in northern Gaza. At least 18 Palestinians were killed in air-strikes whilst Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu held White House talks with US President Donald Trump. The bloodshed came as the two leaders thrashed out ceasefire plans including a 60 day pause in fighting and a prisoner - hostage swap. At the same time negotiations were underway between Hamas and Israeli representatives in Qatar raising the possibility of a break in the war.

The killings of the soldiers could add to the pressure on Netanyahu to strike a deal in Israel, where polls have shown widespread support for ending the war. An Israeli security official said explosive devices were detonated against the soldiers during an operation in the Beit Hanoun area in northern Gaza.

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Beit Hanounwas an early target of the war and an area where Israel has repeatedly fought regrouping militants. Hamas gunmen opened fire on troops who were evacuating the wounded soldiers.

The military said 14 soldiers were wounded in the attack, two of them seriously. It brings the toll of soldiers killed to 888 since the war against Hamas began in 2023.

The soldiers died roughly two weeks after Israel reported one of its deadliest days in months in Gaza. Then, seven soldiers were killed after a Palestinian attached a bomb to their armored vehicle.

In a statement, Netanyahu said the soldiers fell "in a campaign to defeat Hamas and to free all of our hostages." Health officials at the Nasser Hospital, where victims of the Israeli strikes were taken, said one of the strikes targeted tents sheltering displaced people in Khan Younis in southern Gaza,killing four people.

A separate strike in Khan Younis killed four people, including a mother, father, and their two children, officials said. In central Gaza, Israeli strikes hit a group of people, killing ten people and injuring 72 others, according to a statement by Awda Hospital in Nuseirat.

Fighting has pushed the health care system in Gaza close to collapse.Trump has made clear that, following last month's 12-day war between Israel and Iran, he would like to see the 21-month Gaza conflict end soon.

A senior Israeli official said that 80-90% of the details had been ironed out and that a final agreement could be days away. A sticking point has been whether the ceasefire will end the war altogether.

Hamas has said it is willing to free all the hostages in exchange for an end to the war and a full Israeli withdrawal from Gaza. Netanyahu says the war will end once Hamas surrenders, disarms and goes into exile - something it refuses to do.

The war began when Hamas attacked Israel on Oct. 7, 2023, killing some 1,200 people and taking 251 others hostage. Most have been released in earlier ceasefires. Israel responded with an offensive that has killed over 57,000 Palestinians, more than half of them women and children, according to Gaza's Health Ministry.

The ministry, which is under Gaza's Hamas government, does not differentiate between civilians and combatants. The U.N. and other international organizations see its figures as the most reliable statistics on war casualties.