TEL AVIV, Israel (AP) — Five Israeli soldiers were killed in an attack in Gaza, the Israeli military said Tuesday, while health officials in the Palestinian territory said 18 people were killed in Israeli strikes.

The war in Gaza began after Hamas led an attack on Israel in October 2023, killing nearly 1,200 Israelis. Another 250 people were taken hostage, according to Israeli officials. Israel’s subsequent invasion of Gaza has devastated the enclave, and its forces have killed more than 50,000 people, according to the Palestinian health authorities.

Gaza's civil defence agency said Israeli forces killed at least 12 people on Monday, including six in a clinic housing Palestinians displaced after 21 months of war.Israel has recently expanded its military operations in the Gaza Strip,