The soldiers, two sergeants first class and a sergeant major, were killed in central Gaza, the military said.

Two were killed in a bomb blast, while the third died in a gun battle when militants opened fire on a group of soldiers, military spokesman Daniel Hagari said in a televised briefing.

In recent weeks, Israeli forces have been engaged in fierce fighting with Palestinian militants in central Gaza, particularly in the Deir el-Balah area.

The latest deaths bring the military's losses in the Gaza campaign to 338 since it launched a ground offensive in the Palestinian territory on October 27.

The war in Gaza erupted after Hamas-led militants attacked Israel on October 7, which resulted in the deaths of 1,199 people, mostly civilians, according to an AFP tally based on Israeli official figures.

Militants also seized 251 people, 105 of whom are still captive in Gaza, including 34 the Israeli military says are dead.

Israel's retaliatory military campaign has killed at least 40,334 people in Gaza, according to the Hamas-run territory's health ministry, which does not give details of civilian and militant deaths.

Most of the dead are women and children, according to the UN human rights office.