Israel loses 24 soldiers in Gaza, its highest death toll in a single day

Israeli troops carry the coffin of a fellow soldier during his funeral in the Mount Herzl cemetery in Jerusalem on January 23, 2024.

21 reserve soldiers died as they tried to rig two buildings in southern Gaza with mines to perform a controlled demolition, according to Israeli army spokesman Daniel Hagari.

According to Hagari, Hamas commandos fired a rocket-propelled grenade at an Israeli tank that was deployed to protect the soldiers rigging the buildings with bombs, causing a chain reaction that led to the structures' collapse.

The Qassam Brigades, the military wing of Hamas, released a statement Tuesday describing an attack that was consistent with the time and nature of the Israeli military’s description.

Israeli soldiers carry the coffin of an Israeli soldier, during his funeral at the Mount Herzl military cemetery in Jerusalem, 23 January 2024.

Friends and family mourn an Israeli military reservist who was killed in southern Gaza.

Israeli troops attend the funeral of a fellow soldier in the Mount Herzl cemetery in Jerusalem on January 23, 2024.

The family and friends of an Israeli soldier mourn during his funeral at the military cemetery in Tel Aviv on January 23, 2024,