TEL AVIV: The Israeli army said on Monday three more soldiers had been killed in fighting in the Gaza Strip, raising the number of troop deaths there to 75 since the war began.
All three died in northern Gaza on Sunday, the military said. The deaths brought the total number of Israeli defence personnel killed since October 7 -- among them those who died in the attacks themselves, and including soldiers, reservists, kibbutz guards and others -- to 401.
Meanwhile, the Israeli prime minister's office on Monday said it had tallied the remains of 15 citizens that were being kept by Palestinian groups in the Gaza Strip since the attacks of October 7.
Confirming three additional deaths of hostages held in the Gaza Strip, it said the groups were now holding the remains of 15 people.
The published list named the dead as 11 civilians and four soldiers, one of them a senior officer, although it did not elaborate further.
Under an agreement between Israel and Palestinian groups, 80 Israeli hostages were released in exchange for three times as many Palestinian prisoners during a seven-day truce that ended on Friday. Another 25, mostly Thais, were freed separately.
Five other hostages were also freed before the start of the week-long pause. The Israeli army said on Saturday 137 hostages were still being held in Gaza.
The Israeli army said it was taking "aggressive" action in Khan Yunis, in the south of the Gaza Strip, where it has been widely expected to begin ground operations.
The advance of Israeli forces meant that in the north and east of the city, civilians could no longer travel along the Salah al-Din road that runs through the Palestinian territory, it said. The road "constitutes a battlefield, so it is extremely dangerous to go there", it warned. — AFP
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