The Israel Defense Forces announced the deaths of two soldiers on Monday morning, both of whom were killed in fighting in the northern Gaza Strip the previous day, bringing the number of troops killed since the start of the ground operation in late October to 156.

The two soldiers were identified as:

The IDF had previously announced that a third soldier, Maj. (res.) Aryeh Rein, 39, of the 14th Reserve Armored Brigade’s 79th Battalion was killed by an anti-tank guided missile on Sunday in northern Gaza.

A second soldier of the 50th Battalion was seriously injured in the same battle in which Tamir was killed, the IDF said.

The Israeli Navy struck several Hamas cells spotted near ground forces in the Gaza Strip over the past day, the IDF said, releasing footage of Navy shelling along the coast.

According to the IDF, the Navy struck Hamas operatives hiding in buildings near ground troops, as well as positions where gunmen opened fire from and launched mortars at Israeli soldiers.

The Air Force, meanwhile, struck and killed an unnamed Hamas commander in the Khan Younis area, the IDF said, and added that several more operatives carrying a rocket were killed in a separate strike.

In northern Gaza, the 261st Brigade called in an airstrike on a building where several Hamas operatives were identified, the military said.

Overnight, Palestinians reported heavy Israeli bombardment and gunfire in Jabaliya, an area north of Gaza City that Israel has claimed to have gained control of.

The war began with the deadly Hamas onslaught on October 7, when thousands of terrorists stormed into Israel, killing some 1,200 people and seizing around 240 hostages.

In response, Israel launched an aerial campaign and subsequent ground invasion, vowing to eliminate Hamas from the Gaza Strip and end its 16-year rule.

The Hamas-run health ministry in Gaza has claimed that since October 7, more than 20,000 Palestinians have been killed. This number cannot be independently verified, however, and is believed to include around 8,000 Hamas or Hamas-affiliated operatives, as well as civilians killed by misfired Palestinian rockets.

Times of Israel staff contributed to this report.