By Ikram Kouachi
ANKARA (AA) – At least two more Israeli soldiers were killed in battles in the Gaza Strip on Saturday, the Israeli army said on Sunday.
“The Israeli army named two reserve soldiers who fell in combat in the Gaza Strip on Saturday as 26-year-old Master Sgt. Joseph Avner Doran and 24-year-old Sgt. 1st Class Shalev Zaltsman,” local daily Haaretz said, quoting an Israeli army spokesman.
It raised the Israeli army death toll in the ongoing conflict since October to over 450.
Israel has bombarded the Gaza Strip from the air and land, imposed a siege, and mounted a ground offensive in retaliation for a cross-border attack by Hamas on Oct. 7.
At least 18,800 Palestinians, mostly children and women, have since been killed and 51,000 injured in Israeli attacks, according to Gaza’s health authorities.
The Israeli death toll in the Hamas attack stands at 1,200, while more than 130 hostages are still held by the Palestinian group in Gaza, according to official figures.