JERUSALEM, Jan 12, 2025 (BSS/AFP) - The Israeli military said on Saturday that four soldiers had died in combat in the north of the Gaza Strip, more than 15 months into its war with Hamas militants.

The deaths brought to 403 the total number of soldiers killed in the Palestinian territory since Israel launched its ground offensive in retaliation for Hamas's October 7, 2023 attack.

An officer and a reservist soldier were "seriously wounded" during the same incident and were taken to hospital, the military said in a statement.

Israel has been waging an intense offensive in northern Gaza since early October, saying it aims to prevent Hamas from regrouping.

The military said on Saturday it had killed three militants in a ground operation near Jabalia in northern Gaza.

The war was sparked by Hamas's surprise October 7 attack, which resulted in the deaths of 1,208 people, mostly civilians, according to an AFP tally of official Israeli figures.

Israel's retaliatory military offensive in Gaza has killed 46,537 people, the majority civilians, according to figures from the health ministry in the Hamas-run territory considered reliable by the United Nations.