Five Israeli soldiers killed in Gaza: military

Five Israeli soldiers were killed in combat in the northern Gaza Strip, Israel’s military said on Tuesday, as Israel and Hamas held indirect talks in Qatar on an elusive ceasefire.

Two of the soldiers “fell during combat in the northern Gaza Strip”, the Israeli military said in a statement, adding that three others were killed and two severely wounded in the same incident.

The wounded soldiers were “evacuated to a hospital to receive medical treatment and their families have been notified”, the military said.

The latest round of negotiations on the nearly two-year war in Gaza began on Sunday in Doha, with representatives of Israel and Palestinian militant group Hamas seated in different rooms in the same building.

Monday’s talks ended with “no breakthrough”, a Palestinian official familiar with the negotiations told AFP.

The Hamas and Israeli delegations were due to resume talks, with US President Donald Trump’s special envoy Steve Witkoff also set to join them this week in an effort to secure a ceasefire.

The US proposal included a 60-day truce, during which Hamas would release 10 living hostages, taken during its October 2023 attack on Israel, and several bodies in exchange for Palestinians detained by Israel, two Palestinian sources close to the discussions earlier told AFP.

Hamas was also demanding for Israel’s withdrawal, guarantees against a resumption of fighting during negotiations, and the return of the UN-led aid distribution system, they said.