At least three Israeli soldiers have been killed, including two officers, in clashes with Palestinian resistance groups in Gaza, the Israeli army announced Thursday.
Eight others were seriously injured in fresh clashes in the besieged Palestinian territory, bringing the total death toll for Israel Defense Forces since Oct. 7 to 469.
A military statement said that First Lt. Yaakov Elyan, 20, First Lt. Omri Schwarz, 21, and Ser. Lavi Ghassi, 19, were killed in fighting in the southern Gaza.
Israel has pounded the Gaza Strip since the Oct. 7 Hamas incursion. The indiscriminate attacks has so far killed over 20,000 Palestinians, mostly women and children, and injured 52,586 others, according to health authorities in the enclave.
The Israeli onslaught has left Gaza in ruins with half of the coastal territory's housing stock damaged or destroyed, and nearly 2 million people displaced within the densely-populated enclave amid shortages of food and clean water.
Nearly 1,140 Israelis are believed to have been killed in the Hamas attack, while more than 130 hostages remain in captivity.
