Israeli army says 13 soldiers killed in Gaza fighting

Two soldiers were killed in fighting on Tuesday, bringing the total to 15 soldiers killed since the army expanded the deployment of ground troops in the Gaza Strip.

Israel's army has been bombarding Gaza for weeks and ushered in a new phase of the war against Hamas, which controls Gaza, by launching sustained ground operations at the weekend.

In parallel, air and naval forces were carrying out an operation attacking dozens of other Hamas targets, the military said.

Israel declared its plans to wipe out Hamas after its militants went on a rampage through Israeli communities bordering Gaza, killing 1400 people three weeks ago.

The militants took about 240 people hostage and are holding them captive in Gaza.