Hamas ambush kills five soldiers in Israeli-controlled 'buffer zone'

Hamas fighters killed five Israeli soldiers and wounded at least 14 others on Monday in an ambush in Beit Hanoun, near the boundary with Israel in the northern Gaza Strip.

The attack occurred in an area that Israeli forces had forcibly emptied of Palestinian residents and designated a "buffer zone", where military operations have continued for months.

According to the Israeli military, an initial investigation found that the soldiers were targeted with roadside explosive devices during ground operations.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who received news of the attack while visiting Washington, mourned the troops.

“On this difficult morning, the entire People of Israel bows its head in mourning for the fall of our heroic fighters, who risked their lives in the battle to defeat Hamas and free all our hostages,” he said in a statement. 

Read more: Hamas ambush kills five soldiers in Israeli-controlled 'buffer zone'