Five Israeli soldiers killed in Gaza since Friday night

Lt. Roy Peles, 21, from Tel Aviv;  Avraham Greenzweig, 21, from Petah Tikva, of the Nahal Brigade;  and 1st Sgt. Gal Bason, 21, from Holon, an IDF combat engineer, were the last names released by the IDF spokesmen of fallen Israeli soldiers in combat in the Gaza operation.

Two more IDF combat engineers died in an earlier engagement with terrorists in southern Gaza Strip Friday night. They are Staff Sgt. Guy Boyland, 21, from Ginosar, and 1st Sgt. Amit Yeori, 20 from Jerusalem. Three soldiers were seriously injured.

During the day Friday, two IDF NCOs died in action: 1st Sgt. Yair Ashkenazi, 36, from Rehovot, who was killed in the northern part of the Gaza Strip. A lawyer, he served in the reserves of Bahad 1. The second was 1st Sgt. Guy Levi, 21, from Kfar Veradim, of the armored corps.

Israel has lost a total 40 officers and men in the Gaza operation, including, including 1st Sgt. Oron Shaul, first reported missing whose death in action was confirmed Friday.

The Palestinians report more than 900 dead, most of them since Israeli launched its ground incursion on July 17.