A picture taken from Rafah shows smoke billowing over Khan Yunis in the southern Gaza Strip during Israeli bombardment on Jan 22, 2024, amid ongoing battles between Israel and the Hamas. (PHOTO / AFP)

JERUSALEM/UNITED NATIONS – The Israeli army announced on Tuesday that 21 soldiers were killed in an attack in central Gaza, the deadliest incident for the military in the ongoing 109-day war.

The attack came after Israeli soldiers had intensified their assault on Khan Younis city, storming medical centers and killing dozens of Palestinians, in their fiercest fighting in the area thus far.

At a press briefing on Tuesday, Daniel Hagari, spokesman for Israel Defense Forces, said soldiers were preparing explosives to demolish two buildings when militants launched a rocket-propelled grenade at a nearby tank on Monday. It triggered a premature explosion that resulted in the collapse of the buildings while the soldiers were either inside or nearby, he added.

In a statement, the army said the casualties were reserve soldiers aged 22 to 37.

The incident marked the deadliest single attack on the Israeli military since the beginning of its war against Hamas in Gaza on Oct 7.

Meanwhile, Israeli tanks surrounded the city's Al-Amal Hospital, imposing a siege, while troops stormed another one, the Al-Khair Hospital, arresting medical staff. 

Palestinians who flee from Khan Younis from Israeli ground and air offensive on the Gaza Strip arrive in Rafah, southern Gaza, Jan 22, 2024. (PHOTO / AP)

In a statement, the Palestine Red Crescent Society expressed deep concern over the safety of its teams "trapped inside" the Al-Amal Hospital.

The PRCS also reported an unspecified number of casualties among displaced people due to Israeli bombings at shelter centers.

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The Palestinian death toll from the ongoing Israeli attacks on the Gaza Strip has risen to 25,490 since Oct 7, the Hamas-run health ministry said on Tuesday.

The Israeli army killed 195 Palestinians and wounded 354 others over the past 24 hours, the ministry said in a press statement.

"A number of victims are still under the rubble, and ambulances and the civil defense crew cannot reach them," the ministry added.

The Israel Defense Forces confirmed in a statement that it launched "a combined attack" of four brigades on western Khan Younis, adding that the forces were closing in on the city's refugee camp.

"The divisional attack will continue for several more days," IDF said, adding it "will include raids and other military operations to dismantle the military infrastructure of Hamas in the region."

At nightfall, the army announced in a statement that three officers from the Paratroopers Brigade were killed, including a deputy battalion commander, a company commander, and a platoon commander.

Israeli soldiers travel on an army armored personnel carrier near the Israeli-Gaza border as smoke rises to the sky in the Gaza Strip, seen from southern Israel, Jan 21, 2024. (PHOTO / AP)

In Jerusalem, dozens of supporters and relatives of hostages barged into a meeting at the Israeli parliament, demanding more action to free captives from Gaza.

Meanwhile, Israel's state-owned Kan TV news reported that Israel has been discussing a new ceasefire deal with Qatari mediators. The proposal includes the release of civilian hostages in exchange for "a significant" period of ceasefire and the release of additional Palestinian prisoners in Israeli custody, reported Kan, citing Israeli officials.

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Hamas, which demands an end to the Gaza conflict in exchange for the release of more Israeli hostages, has yet to respond to the proposal.  

According to official Israeli figures, total 198 Israeli soldiers have been killed since the country waged a war against Hamas, following the Hamas-led assault on southern Israeli communities on Oct 7, 2023, in which about 1,200 Israelis, mostly civilians, were killed and more than 200 were taken as hostages to Gaza.

Referencing information from Gaza's health authorities, the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs reported that 62,681 Palestinians have suffered injuries due to Israeli strikesin response to Hamas-led attacks in Israel.

Palestinians fleeing Israeli ground and air offensive on Khan Younis arrive in Rafah, southern Gaza, Jan 22, 2024. (PHOTO / AP)

Addressing a summit of the Group of 77 countries and China in the Ugandan capital Kampala on Sunday, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres described the Middle East as "a tinderbox," before issuing an appeal to "do all we can to prevent conflict from igniting across the region."

"Israel's military operations have spread mass destruction and killed civilians on a scale unprecedented during my time as secretary-general," Guterres said, having earlier reiterated his support for a two-state solution for Israelis and Palestinians.

Highlighting the scale of need among Gazans after more than three months of "intense" bombardment, OCHA said that only 15 bakeries were now operational in Gaza – "six in Rafah and nine in Deir al Balah" – and none is open north of Wadi Gaza.

Almost all of these functioning bakeries have continued to receive support from the UN World Food Programme which has provided flour, salt, yeast and sugar.