The Israeli military confirmed on Tuesday the deaths of an officer and a soldier from the "Yahalom" special missions unit of the Engineering Corps, which specializes in tunnel warfare, during clashes in the north of Gaza Strip. No further details about their deaths were provided.
This announcement follows the report by the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) on Monday of seven soldiers killed in ongoing battles in the Gaza sector, increasing their death toll to 137 since the start of the ground operation, according to Israeli figures.
With these recent fatalities, the total number of Israeli military casualties since the outset of Operation Protective Edge on October 7 has risen to 463, including both soldiers and officers.
The IDF has suffered increased losses in the past few days as battles with Palestinian resistance factions in various sectors of Gaza intensified.
Israeli media have reported that the number of IDF soldiers injured in Gaza clashes and currently being treated in hospitals is higher than the figures released by the Israeli military’s media channels.
On the other side, Palestinian resistance has announced a series of operations and attacks targeting tanks, military vehicles, and infantry forces of the occupying army, stationed in residential buildings, resulting in direct hits in both the northern and southern parts of the Gaza Strip.
The spokesman for the Al-Qassam Brigades, Abu Ubaida, has repeatedly stated in his routine declarations that the official death and injury counts released by the IDF are "unrealistic" and that the actual numbers are much higher.
The Israeli aggression on the besieged Gaza Strip continues into its 74th day, leaving over 19,453 martyrs and 52,286 injured, while the resistance engages in fierce battles with the occupation forces across various fronts of the sector.
