Israeli army says 2 more soldiers killed in southern Gaza fighting

By Anadolu staff

Two more Israeli soldiers have been killed in fighting in the southern Gaza Strip, the Israeli army said on Sunday.

An army statement identified the soldiers as Sgt. Nachman Meir Haim Vaknin, 20, and Sgt. Noam Bittan.

Two more soldiers and an officer were seriously wounded in a blast that took place in a booby-trapped tunnel shaft in the Rafah area in southern Gaza Strip.

The latest casualties bring the number of Israeli soldiers killed to 282 since the start of Israel’s ground operation in Gaza on Oct. 27, while the army's total number of deaths since the launch of the Israeli onslaught against Gaza on Oct. 7 jumped to 630.

Israel continued its brutal offensive on Gaza despite a UN Security Council resolution demanding an immediate cease-fire.

Nearly 35,400 Palestinians have been killed in Gaza, the vast majority being women and children, and over 79,300 others injured since October following an attack by Hamas.

More than seven months into the Israeli war, vast swathes of Gaza lay in ruins amid a crippling blockade of food, clean water and medicine.

Israel is accused of “genocide” at the International Court of Justice, which has ordered Tel Aviv to ensure its forces do not commit acts of genocide and take measures to guarantee that humanitarian assistance is provided to civilians in Gaza.

*Writing by Ikram Kouachi