Five Israeli Defense Forces soldiers are dead and more than a dozen others are injured after a roadside bomb exploded on Monday in the Beit Hanoun area of the northern Gaza Strip.
During an operation by the Northern Brigade, explosive devices were detonated against IDF ground troops who were operating in the area, IDF officials told Fox News Digital.
The deaths come as Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is in Washington, D.C., for meetings with President Donald Trump and other U.S. government officials on a ceasefire with Hamas.
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While attempting to evacuate the injured soldiers, IDF troops came under fire.
The deceased soldiers have been identified as: Staff Sgt. Meir Shimon Amar; Sgt. Moshe Nissim Frech; Sgt. 1st Class (res.) Benyamin Asulin; Staff Sgt. Noam Aharon Musgadian; and Staff Sgt. Moshe Shmuel Noll.
A total of 14 additional soldiers were injured in the explosion, including two with “severe” injuries.
The other 12 soldiers sustained “varying degrees of injuries,” and were evacuated to hospitals for medical treatment.
Their families have been notified, according to officials.
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Also on Monday, Israel and Houthi rebels exchanged missile fire in Yemen.
Israel’s first strikes were in retaliation for a suspected Houthi explosive attack on a Liberian-flagged ship in the Red Sea.
Though the Houthis responded with their own missiles, Israel did not report any deaths.
Fox News Digital’s Anders Hagstrom and The Associated Press contributed to this report.
