Three Israeli soldiers — a 22-year-old major, a 24-year-old captain and a 32-year-old deputy commander — were killed in fighting in south and central Gaza yesterday, Al Jazeera reports.

According to the Israeli military, three other soldiers were seriously wounded as well.

The UN reports that 22 Israeli soldiers were killed over Tuesday and Wednesday in Gaza, bringing the total number of Israeli forces killed in the Palestinian territory to 162 since the ground invasion began two months ago.

It was not known if the three latest deaths were included in the total death toll reported by the UN.