Militants kill 5 Israeli soldiers in Gaza and Israeli strikes kill 51 Palestinians

TEL AVIV, Israel (AP) — Five Israeli soldiers were killed in an attack in the northern Gaza Strip, Israel's military said Tuesday, while health officials in the Palestinian territory said that 51 people were killed in Israeli strikes.

The bloodshed came as Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was visiting the White House for talks with U.S. President Donald Trump about a ceasefire plan to pause the Gaza fighting. While there was no announcement of a breakthrough, there were signs of progress toward a deal.

The soldiers' deaths could add to pressure on Netanyahu to strike a deal, as polls in Israel have shown widespread support for ending the 21-month war.

A senior Israeli official said that 80-90% of the details had been ironed out and a final agreement could be days away. The official spoke on condition of anonymity, because they weren’t authorized to discuss the sensitive negotiations with the media.

In a separate development, Israel said that it targeted a senior Hamas militant with a rare airstrike in northern Lebanon that killed three people and wounded 13 others, according to Lebanon's Health Ministry.

The soldiers were killed roughly two weeks after Israel reported one of its deadliest days in months in Gaza, when seven soldiers were killed after a Palestinian attached a bomb to their armored vehicle.

An Israeli security official said that explosive devices were detonated against the five soldiers during an operation in the Beit Hanoun area in northern Gaza, an area where Israel has repeatedly fought regrouping militants.

Militants also opened fire on the forces who were evacuating the wounded soldiers, the official said. The official spoke on condition of anonymity because they weren’t authorized to discuss the attack with the media.

The military said 14 soldiers were wounded in the attack, two of them seriously. It brings the toll of soldiers killed to 888 since Hamas-led militants launched an attack on southern Israel on Oct. 7, 2023, which ignited the war.

In a statement, Netanyahu sent condolences, saying the soldiers fell “in a campaign to defeat Hamas and to free all of our hostages.”

Health officials at Nasser Hospital, where victims of the Israeli strikes were taken, said one strike targeted tents sheltering displaced people in Khan Younis in southern Gaza, killing four people. A separate strike in Khan Younis killed four people, including a mother, father and their two children, officials said.

“He sleeps in the tent with his two children, Awda and Misk,” said Nisma al-Baiouk, the sister of one man killed. “My nephew Awda has no face, his face is gone.”

Nasser Hospital records showed a total of 41 people killed on Tuesday.

In central Gaza, Israeli strikes killed another 10 people and wounded 72, according to Awda Hospital in the built-up Nuseirat refugee camp.

Israel's military had no immediate comment on the strikes, but it blames Hamas for any harm to civilians because the militants operate in populated areas.

The fighting has pushed the health care system in Gaza close to collapse. On Tuesday, the Palestine Red Crescent said the Al-Zaytoun Medical Clinic in Gaza City ceased operations after shelling in the surrounding area. It said the closure would force thousands of civilians to walk long distances to get medical care or obtain vaccinations for children.

Trump has made clear that following last month’s 12-day war between Israel and Iran, he would like to see the war in Gaza end soon.

White House officials are urging both sides to quickly seal an agreement that would bring about a 60-day pause in the fighting, send aid flooding into Gaza and free at least some of the remaining 50 hostages held in the territory. Netanyahu has said 20 are alive.

A sticking point has been whether the ceasefire will end the war altogether. Hamas has said that it's willing to free all the hostages in exchange for an end to the war and a full Israeli withdrawal from Gaza. Netanyahu says the war will end once Hamas surrenders, disarms and goes into exile — something it refuses to do.

The initial Hamas attack in 2023 killed around 1,200 people and took 251 others hostage. Most have been released in earlier ceasefires. Israel responded with an offensive that has killed more than 57,000 Palestinians, more than half of them women and children, according to Gaza’s Health Ministry.

The ministry, which is under Gaza’s Hamas-run government, doesn't differentiate between civilians and combatants. The U.N. and other international organizations see its figures as the most reliable statistics on war casualties.

The Israeli airstrike hit a car in the northern Lebanese city of Tripoli. The Israeli military said that it killed Mehran Mustafa Bajur, who it described as a key Hamas commander in Lebanon who had been involved in rocket attacks on Israel. There was no immediate comment from Hamas.

Israel and the Lebanese militant group Hezbollah, an ally of Hamas, fought a bruising war last year that nominally ended with a U.S.-brokered ceasefire in November.

Since then, Israel has continued to carry out near-daily airstrikes in Lebanon targeting what it says are officials and facilities of Hezbollah and other militant groups. Most of the strikes have been in southern Lebanon, where Hezbollah had a major military presence.

Around 250 people have been killed in strikes in Lebanon since the ceasefire, according to the Health Ministry.

Hezbollah, which suffered heavy losses in the war, has been under increasing international and domestic pressure to give up its remaining arsenal, but has refused to do so before Israel withdraws from five key border points it's occupying in southern Lebanon and stops its airstrikes.

Fatma Khaled reported from Cairo, and Wafaa Shurafa from Deir al-Balah, Gaza Strip. Abby Sewell contributed to this report from Beirut.

A woman is evacuated after an Israeli strike on tents sheltering displaced Palestinians in Gaza City on Tuesday, July 8, 2025. (AP Photo/Jehad Alshrafi)

A woman is evacuated after an Israeli strike on tents sheltering displaced Palestinians in Gaza City on Tuesday, July 8, 2025. (AP Photo/Jehad Alshrafi)

A woman is evacuated after an Israeli strike on tents sheltering displaced Palestinians in Gaza City on Tuesday, July 8, 2025. (AP Photo/Jehad Alshrafi)

A kid stands next to the rubbles following an Israeli strike on tents sheltering displaced Palestinians in Gaza City on Tuesday, July 8, 2025. (AP Photo/Jehad Alshrafi)

A woman is evacuated after an Israeli strike on tents sheltering displaced Palestinians in Gaza City on Tuesday, July 8, 2025. (AP Photo/Jehad Alshrafi)

Palestinians carry containers for water at a camp for the displaced in Deir al-Balah, Gaza Strip, Monday, July 7, 2025. (AP Photo/Abdel Kareem Hana)

Israeli army vehicles moves in the Gaza Strip as seen from southern Israel on Sunday, July 6, 2025. (Photo/Ohad Zwigenberg)

NEW YORK (AP) — Thousands of nurses in three hospital systems in New York City went on strike Monday after negotiations through the weekend failed to yield breakthroughs in their contract disputes.

The strike was taking place at The Mount Sinai Hospital and two of its satellite campuses, with picket lines forming. The other affected hospitals are NewYork-Presbyterian and Montefiore Medical Center in the Bronx.

About 15,000 nurses are involved in the strike, according to New York State Nurses Association.

“After months of bargaining, management refused to make meaningful progress on core issues that nurses have been fighting for: safe staffing for patients, healthcare benefits for nurses, and workplace violence protections,” the union said in a statement issued Monday. “Management at the richest hospitals in New York City are threatening to discontinue or radically cut nurses’ health benefits.”

The strike, which comes during a severe flu season, could potentially force the hospitals to transfer patients, cancel procedures or divert ambulances. It could also put a strain on city hospitals not involved in the contract dispute, as patients avoid the medical centers hit by the strike.

The hospitals involved have been hiring temporary nurses to try and fill the labor gap during the walkout, and said in a statement during negotiations that they would “do whatever is necessary to minimize disruptions.” Montefiore posted a message assuring patients that appointments would be kept.

“NYSNA’s leaders continue to double down on their $3.6 billion in reckless demands, including nearly 40% wage increases, and their troubling proposals like demanding that a nurse not be terminated if found to be compromised by drugs or alcohol while on the job," Montefiore spokesperson Joe Solmonese said Monday after the strike had started. "We remain resolute in our commitment to providing safe and seamless care, regardless of how long the strike may last.”

New York-Presbyterian accused the union of staging a strike to “create disruption,” but said in a statement that it has taken steps to ensure patients receive the care they need.

"We’re ready to keep negotiating a fair and reasonable contract that reflects our respect for our nurses and the critical role they play, and also recognizes the challenging realities of today’s healthcare environment,” the statement said.

The work stoppage is occurring at multiple hospitals simultaneously, but each medical center is negotiating with the union independently. Several other hospitals across the city and in its suburbs reached deals in recent days to avert a possible strike.

The nurses’ demands vary by hospital, but the major issues include staffing levels and workplace safety. The union says hospitals have given nurses unmanageable workloads.

Nurses also want better security measures in the workplace, citing incidents like a an incident last week, when a man with a sharp object barricaded himself in a Brooklyn hospital room and was then killed by police.

The union also wants limitations on hospitals’ use of artificial intelligence.

The nonprofit hospitals involved in the negotiations say they’ve been working to improve staffing levels, but say the union’s demands overall are too costly.

Nurses voted to authorize the strike last month.

Both New York Gov. Kathy Hochul and Mayor Zohran Mamdani had expressed concern about the possibility of the strike. As the strike deadline neared, Mamdani urged both sides to keep negotiating and reach a deal that “both honors our nurses and keeps our hospitals open.”

“Our nurses kept this city alive through its hardest moments. Their value is not negotiable,” Mamdani said.

State Attorney General Letitia James voiced similar support, saying "nurses put their lives on the line every day to keep New Yorkers healthy. They should never be forced to choose between their own safety, their patients’ well-being, and a fair contract.”

The last major nursing strike in the city was only three years ago, in 2023. That work stoppage, at Mount Sinai and Montefiore, was short, lasting three days. It resulted in a deal raising pay 19% over three years at those hospitals.

It also led to promised staffing improvements, though the union and hospitals now disagree about how much progress has been made, or whether the hospitals are retreating from staffing guarantees.

Nurses strike outside New York-Presbyterian Hospital, Monday, Jan. 12, 2026, in New York. (AP Photo/Yuki Iwamura)

Nurses strike outside New York-Presbyterian Hospital, Monday, Jan. 12, 2026, in New York. (AP Photo/Yuki Iwamura)

Nurses strike outside New York-Presbyterian Hospital, Monday, Jan. 12, 2026, in New York. (AP Photo/Yuki Iwamura)

Nurses strike outside New York-Presbyterian Hospital, Monday, Jan. 12, 2026, in New York. (AP Photo/Yuki Iwamura)

Nurses strike outside New York-Presbyterian Hospital, Monday, Jan. 12, 2026, in New York. (AP Photo/Yuki Iwamura)

Nurses strike outside Mount Sinai West Hospital, Monday, Jan. 12, 2026, in New York. (AP Photo/Yuki Iwamura)

Nurses strike outside Mount Sinai West Hospital, Monday, Jan. 12, 2026, in New York. (AP Photo/Yuki Iwamura)

Nurses strike outside Mount Sinai West Hospital, Monday, Jan. 12, 2026, in New York. (AP Photo/Yuki Iwamura)

Nurses strike outside Mount Sinai West Hospital, Monday, Jan. 12, 2026, in New York. (AP Photo/Yuki Iwamura)

FILE - A medical worker transports a patient at Mount Sinai Hospital, April 1, 2020, in New York. (AP Photo/Mary Altaffer, File)