Daijiworld Media Network – Jerusalem

Jerusalem, Apr 27: In a tragic escalation of violence, two Israeli soldiers were killed in separate incidents in the northern Gaza Strip, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) and Israel Police confirmed.

The fallen soldiers were identified as 21-year-old Ido Voloch, an armored corps officer and platoon commander, and 19-year-old Neta Yitzhak Kahana, an undercover officer in the Border Police.

Reports from Israel’s state-run Kan TV News revealed that Kahana died during an ambush by militants in the Shajaiyah neighbourhood of eastern Gaza City on Friday. As a rescue operation was underway, militants launched an RPG rocket, injuring another soldier. Shortly after, Voloch was killed in a second RPG attack targeting an Israeli tank in the same area.

The violence extended to the Tel al-Sultan refugee camp in Rafah, where four Israeli soldiers were injured by explosive devices, one of them seriously.

Earlier, on Thursday, an Israeli tank driver was killed by sniper fire in northern Gaza. The IDF confirmed the soldier's death and stated that two others, including an officer and a reservist, were severely wounded in the attack.