The Israeli army said on Friday that two more soldiers were killed in the ongoing conflict with Hamas, bringing the total number of Israeli military fatalities to 341 since Oct. 7.
One soldier died during the ground operation in the Gaza Strip, where Israeli forces have been trying to destroy Hamas’s tunnel network and rocket launchers. The other soldier was killed by a Hamas rocket that hit southern Israel, according to army spokesman Daniel Hagari.
Israel launched a surprise offensive on Oct. 7 after Hamas fired hundreds of rockets at Israeli cities and towns, killing dozens of civilians. Israel said it was responding to Hamas’s violation of a ceasefire agreement that had been in place since 2021.
The Israeli air force has carried out more than 3,000 airstrikes on Gaza, targeting Hamas’s military and political infrastructure, as well as residential buildings and public facilities. The ground invasion began on Oct. 17, with thousands of troops and tanks entering the densely populated coastal enclave.
The Palestinian health ministry said that more than 10,700 people have been killed in the conflict, including at least 9,227 Palestinians, mostly civilians. More than 1,538 Israelis have also died, including 341 soldiers and 1,197 civilians.
The United Nations and several countries have called for an immediate ceasefire and a political solution to the crisis, but the efforts have been hampered by the lack of direct talks between Israel and Hamas, which is considered a terrorist organization by Israel, the United States and the European Union.
The conflict has also sparked protests and violence in the West Bank, East Jerusalem and Israel, where Palestinians and Israeli Arabs have clashed with Israeli security forces and Jewish extremists. Several incidents of lynching, arson and vandalism have been reported, raising fears of a civil war within Israel.
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