“We have lost three young heroes – some of our finest – who gave their lives for the security of our state and the return of all our hostages,” defence minister Israel Katz said on X.

The two soldiers, aged 20 and 22, served in the Golani Infantry Brigade’s 51st Battalion.

Israeli military sources said they were killed when their armoured vehicle exploded in the city of Khan Yunis.

Military correspondents from several Israeli media outlets said the blast was caused by an improvised explosive device detonated by a rebel who emerged from a tunnel.

An investigation was underway.

In a separate incident on Sunday, an officer and a reservist were severely wounded in combat in the southern Gaza Strip, the military said.

According to an AFP toll based on data from the Israeli army, 462 soldiers have been killed since the start of its ground offensive in Gaza on Oct 27, 2023.

Israel launched its Gaza military campaign after Hamas’s Oct 7, 2023 attack, which resulted in the deaths of 1,219 people, most of them civilians, according to an AFP tally based on official figures.

The Israeli campaign has killed 59,821 Palestinians, mostly civilians, according to the health ministry in the Hamas-run territory.