3 Israeli soldiers killed in a booby trap explosion as Rafah offensive widens

Three Israeli soldiers have been killed in Rafah when a booby trap exploded, the military and media reported, as the Israeli national security adviser said that the war against Hamas militants would likely last through the end of the year.

Three other soldiers were wounded in the explosion Tuesday, media reported. The military says at least 290 soldiers have been killed since the ground operation in Gaza began in October.

In an interview Wednesday with Israel’s Kan public broadcaster, Israeli National Security Adviser Tzachi Hanegbi said the war would likely last through the rest of 2024. “We are expecting another seven months of fighting” to destroy the military and governing capabilities of Hamas and the smaller Islamic Jihad militant group, he said.

Israel says it is carrying out limited operations in eastern Rafah along the Gaza-Egypt border. Palestinians in Rafah reported heavy fighting Wednesday as Israeli forces pressed their assault on the border town once seen as the territory’s last refuge. The United States and other allies of Israel have warned against a full-fledged offensive in the city.

Fighting in Rafah has caused more than 1 million Palestinians to flee, most of whom had already been displaced in the war between Israel and Hamas. They now seek refuge in squalid tent camps and other war-ravaged areas, where they lack shelter, food, water and other essentials for survival, the U.N. says.

Israeli bombardments and ground offensives in Gaza have killed more than 36,000 Palestinians, according to the Health Ministry, which doesn’t distinguish between combatants and civilians.

Israel launched its war in Gaza after Hamas’ Oct. 7 attack in which militants stormed into southern Israel, killed some 1,200 people — mostly civilians — and abducted about 250. Israel says around 100 hostages are still captive in Gaza, along with the bodies of around 30 more.