IDF identifies two soldiers killed in Gaza fighting

The Israel Defense Forces said that two soldiers were killed and two others were seriously wounded during fighting with Hamas terrorists inside the Gaza Strip on Tuesday.

The slain soldiers were identified as Staff Sgt. Roei Wolf, 20, of Ramat Gan, and Staff Sgt. Lavi Lipshitz, 20, from Modiin, who both served in the Givati Infantry Brigade's reconnaissance unit, Fox News foreign correspondent Trey Yingst reported. 

The names of the soldiers were released after their families were notified, IDF said. 

These were the first Israeli casualties reported since the second phase of the war started with expanded ground incursions into Gaza on Saturday.

IDF said earlier Israeli troops were engaged in fierce combat with Hamas terrorists in what is now the 25th day of the Israel-Hamas war. The military said they were engaged in a firefight with Hamas overnight and into Tuesday. Tanks and bulldozers have joined soldiers on the ground inside the Gaza Strip.