2 more Israeli soldiers killed in northern Gaza, army says

Two more Israeli soldiers were killed in battles in the northern Gaza Strip, the army said on Saturday.

A military statement said the two soldiers served with the Givati Brigade's Shaked Battalion.

Another soldier was seriously injured in the same incident, added the army, without providing further details.

The two deaths brought to 780 the total number of Israeli soldiers killed since the outbreak of Israel's war on the Gaza Strip following a Hamas attack on Oct. 7, 2023, according to military figures released by the army.

The Israeli army has continued a deadly onslaught in northern Gaza since Oct. 5 to reportedly prevent the Palestinian resistance group Hamas from regrouping amid a siege on the area. Palestinians, however, accuse Israel of seeking to occupy the area and forcibly displace its residents.

More than 1,200 people have been killed in northern Gaza since the offensive began, according to the Gaza Health Ministry.

The onslaught is the latest episode in a brutal Israeli war on Gaza since an attack by Hamas in October last year, despite a UN Security Council resolution demanding an immediate cease-fire.

More than 43,300 people have since been killed, mostly women and children, and over 102,000 others injured, according to local health authorities.

The Israeli onslaught has displaced almost the territory's entire population amid an ongoing blockade that has led to severe shortages of food, clean water, and medicine.

Israel faces a genocide case at the International Court of Justice for its actions in Gaza.

*Writing by Rania Abu Shamala