JERUSALEM (AFP) - Three Israeli soldiers were killed in fighting inside the Gaza Strip on Wednesday, the army said, taking the total number of military deaths in the past six days to 32.

"Today, three IDF soldiers were killed in combat in the Gaza Strip," a statement said It said two soldiers were also severely wounded in ongoing fighting in the coastal enclave where Israel launched a ground operation on July 17 to destroy a sophisticated network of tunnels used by militants for cross-border attacks.