2 Israeli soldiers killed, 3 injured in Gaza fighting, military says

By Zein Khalil and Ikram Kouachi

JERUSALEM/ANKARA (AA) - The Israeli army said Sunday that two soldiers were killed and three others injured in the Gaza Strip.

Israeli daily Yedioth Ahronoth reported that two soldiers were killed when an explosive device exploded at a tunnel entrance while forces were inspecting a building in Rafah in southern Gaza. Two other soldiers sustained serious and moderate injuries.

In a separate incident in northern Gaza, a reservist from Battalion 7007 of the Jerusalem Brigade was severely wounded, according to the same source.

The official Israeli military death toll since Oct. 7, 2023, stands at 853 officers and soldiers, including six killed since Israel resumed its attacks on March 18. Additionally, 5,758 military personnel have been injured, with 2,588 wounded in ground battles in Gaza.

Nearly 52,500 Palestinians have been killed in Gaza in a brutal Israeli onslaught since October 2023, most of them women and children.

The International Criminal Court issued arrest warrants last November for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant for war crimes and crimes against humanity in Gaza.

Israel also faces a genocide case at the International Court of Justice for its war on the enclave.