Israeli army spokesman says eight soldiers killed in 'attack' in southern Gaza

Eight Israeli soldiers were killed "during an attack on Tel al Sultan, in Rafah" in the southern Gaza, the Israeli army spokesperson said.

The soldiers' armored vehicle was struck by a bomb, in one of the deadliest blows for the army since the war began in October. The military said the vehicle was hit in the Tal al-Sultan area where troops are engaged in fierce street battles with Palestinian militants. Preliminary enquiries suggested the vehicle "got hit as a result of an explosion of a side bomb," the military said in a statement.

It said the magnitude of the blast suggested that the bomb had set off a secondary explosion inside the vehicle.