TEHRAN- The Israeli military has acknowledged one of its officers and a soldier have been killed in combat in the Gaza Strip, as the Palestinian resistance continues to confront the occupation forces across all battlefronts.

The Israeli army stated that a "company commander in logistics support was killed as a result of a bomb explosion in central Gaza," adding that a soldier was also killed during the clashes in the Strip.

The latest Israeli military fatalities in Gaza, according to Israeli occupation forces (IOF) figures, have now risen to nearly 700 officers and soldiers since the start of the Al-Aqsa Storm Operation. The figure includes 332 Israeli troops since the beginning of ground invasions in the enclave, in addition to around 10,000 others wounded, according to Israeli media reports.

The armed wing of Hamas, the al-Qassam Brigades, announced the execution of a qualitative and complex operation targeting the IOF in the Tel al-Hawa neighborhood, south of Gaza City. 

Hamas fighters managed to detonate two anti-personnel bombs in two Israeli military vehicles in the vicinity of the University College in the  neighborhood, and then ambushed the remaining Israeli soldiers with automatic weapons.

Israeli media reported at least one soldier was killed in what was described as a "serious incident" while an Israeli media platform confirmed around a dozen soldiers were injured.

Meanwhile, additional information about the incident remains under military censorship, as part of the IOF’s policy to obscure the extent of its losses.

This comes amid intense Israeli bombing of various areas of the Strip and preparations for further military operations, especially in the eastern parts of the central Gaza Strip and Khan Younis in the south.

In the ongoing resistance operations on the 317th day since the U.S.-backed genocidal Israeli war on Gaza began, al-Qassam’s military media published footage documenting attacks on Israeli military gatherings east of Khan Younis.

The armed wing of the Palestinian Islamic Jihad, the al-Quds Brigades detonated a pre-planted explosive device on an Israeli military vehicle near a mosque in the southeastern Gaza City neighborhood of al-Zeitoun.

The al-Quds Brigades also reported fierce clashes with Israeli soldiers east of al-Qarara area, north of Khan Younis, and launched a rocket barrage at the Re'im military site in southeastern Gaza.

Additionally, the Al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigades engaged in fierce clashes with Israeli forces east of al-Qarara and bombarded the invading forces northeast of the city with mortar shells.

The IOF continues to be accused of committing acts of genocide in Gaza, launching numerous airstrikes and artillery bombardments, and perpetrating massacres against civilians amidst a catastrophic humanitarian crisis due to the blockade and mass displacement.

Israeli forces have again forced Palestinians in some areas and refugee camps in the Gaza Strip to evacuate their homes, adding to the suffering of civilians. 

The United Nations has called for a week-long pause in fighting for a polio vaccination campaign with disease spreading among the displaced.

A senior Western official, speaking anonymously, told news agencies there was at least one confirmed case of polio in the enclave, calling Gaza "a contagion time bomb."

Aid groups are also calling for an urgent pause in the Israel-Hamas war so they can ramp up polio vaccinations and prevent a full-blown outbreak.

The virus was detected in wastewater in six different locations in July, with at least one confirmed case and others suspected.

Polio was eradicated in Gaza 25 years ago, but the territory has become a breeding ground for the virus, aid groups say, with hundreds of thousands of displaced Palestinians crowded into tent camps and lacking clean water or proper disposal of sewage and rubbish.

To avert a widespread outbreak, the groups are preparing to vaccinate more than 600,000 children but say the plans are impossible without a pause in the relentless Israeli attacks.  

Any hopes of an immediate ceasefire deal last week have been dashed. Further discussions are scheduled for this week, but these appear to be more of an attempt to keep the process alive than offering a real chance of peace.

Months of detailed argument over the parameters of any agreement conceal the fact that a ceasefire can only be achieved when the most influential decision-makers on the Israeli side led by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu believe the time is right to end the ongoing massacres in Gaza. 

At this moment in time that does not appear to be the case, despite the huge losses among the Israeli military. 

The veteran war criminal, who is wanted in The Hague, has seen his popularity plummet to record lows among Israelis and internationally. A substantial proportion of Israelis are in favor of a deal to exchange the captives in Gaza for Palestinian political prisoners.

They are also demanding early elections.