The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) lost three soldiers in the Gaza Strip, as reported this Wednesday. According to the military, these three soldiers fell into a trap inside a building in the Strip.

The three soldiers were sergeants between the ages of 20 and 21. The three belonged to the 50th battalion of the Nahal brigade. Their names are Amir Galilove, Ura Bar Or and Midreshet Ben-Gurion. A total of 291 Israeli soldiers have been killed since the beginning of the military operation in Gaza.

The incident occurred in the town of Jabaliya, in the north of the Gaza Strip. Two other soldiers from the same unit were injured in the explosion that was set off by a trap at the entrance to a tunnel.

The IDF recently relocated troops to Jabaliya, where they said fighting against armed Palestinians is intensifying. The IDF reports that its troops are under intense fire from anti-tank rocket launchers in the city.

Aside from this fighting, the IDF is working to find and destroy more Hamas tunnels in Jabaliya, in addition to finding weapons and ammunition. The three soldiers from the Nahal brigade died in a similar operation.

Operation in Rafah continues

Further south, Israel's military operation in Rafah continues. The deaths of these three Israeli soldiers coincide with renewed international pressure on Benjamin Netanyahu's government following the latest bombing at the southern Gazan enclave.

After this latest attack, a fire broke out in the refugee camps that killed around 45 people. Hamas and Palestinian groups blame the deaths on Israel. However, Netanyahu's administration claims that the fire started at Hamas weapons depot located at the camp. The IDF claimed that the ammunition they use does not cause fires.