Tel Aviv, Jan 9 (IANS): The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) on Tuesday announced the death of five more of its soldiers killed in fighting against Hamas in Gaza.

The IDF said that a total of 185 soldiers have been killed since October 27 in its Gaza operation.

The deceased soldiers have been indentified as Master Sgt. (res.) Amit Moshe Shahar( 25) of the Combat Engineering Corps’ Yahalom unit, from Ramat Yohanan, Cpt. (res.) Denis Krokhmalov Veksler(27) an officer in the Combat Engineering Corps’ Yahalom unit, from Beersheba.

Cpt. (res.) Ron Efrimi (26) an officer in the Combat Engineering Corps’ Yahalom unit from Hod Hasharon; Master Sgt. (res.) Roi Avraham Maimon (24) a paramedic in the Combat Engineering Corps’ Yahalom unit from Afula; and Sgt. Maj. (res.) Akiva Yasinskiy (35) of the Combat Engineering Corps’ 8173rd Battalion, from Ramat Gan.

All five were killed by explosives that detonated in central Gaza’s Bureij, along with Sgt. First Class (res.) Gavriel Bloom whose death was announced earlier.

With the IDF is almost in total control of northern Gaza strip, the troops are now fighting the battle at central and southern Gaza strips.