Israel: Army officer, 2 soldiers killed in Gaza 

The Israeli army announced early this morning that an officer and two soldiers were killed last night as a result of ground battles in the besieged Gaza Strip.

In a statement reported by the Israeli Broadcasting Corporation and a number of Israeli media outlets the army said: “The military announces the deaths of three more troops killed fighting Hamas terrorists in the Gaza Strip, raising the death toll since Israel’s ground offensive began in late October to 78. They are Sgt. Yakir Yedidya Schenkolewski, 21, from Migdal Oz, a soldier in the 188th Armored Brigade’s 53rd Battalion. Cpt. Eitan Fisch, 23, from Peduel, an officer in the 188th Armored Brigade’s 53rd Battalion. Staff Sgt. Tuval Yaakov Tsanani, 20, from Kiryat Gat, a soldier in the 188th Armored Brigade’s 53rd Battalion.”

It added that four other soldiers were seriously wounded, including a soldier from the parachuters unit.

This brings the death toll of Israeli army soldiers and officers since the beginning of the war on 7 October to 406.

Yesterday, the Israeli army announced that five of its members were killed in battles in the central and northern Gaza Strip.

The Al-Qassam Brigades revealed that it had carried out several combat operations, some of which directly injured Israeli occupation soldiers in the Gaza Strip over the past few days.

It said in separate statements via Telegram that its forces “destroyed 28 Israeli military vehicles, completely or partially, in all fighting axes in the Gaza Strip during the last 24 hours. They were also able to target 5 Zionist tanks and 5 personnel carriers in the eastern Gaza axis with Al-Yassin 105 rockets.”

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