Israeli soldier killed in Gaza

Jerusalem, June 30 (IANS) An Israeli soldier was killed in the northern Gaza Strip, the Israeli military said.

In a statement, the military said Sergeant Yisrael Natan Rosenfeld, 20, of the 601st Combat Engineering Battalion of the 401st Brigade, "fell during combat," Xinhua news agency reported.

Israel's state-owned Kan TV reported that Rosenfeld was killed by an explosive device in Jabalia, in an area where the military had begun demolishing buildings in preparation for constructing outposts as part of a planned buffer zone in northern Gaza.

Since the beginning of June, 21 Israeli soldiers have been killed in the Gaza Strip, bringing the military's death toll to 880 since October 2023, according to official figures.

Earlier on Sunday, Palestinian sources reported heavy bombardments in northern Gaza, with at least 88 people killed and 365 wounded in Israeli attacks, according to Gaza health authorities.

The strikes came as the Israeli military issued new evacuation warnings, calling on residents of Gaza City and Jabalia to move immediately toward the al-Mawasi area.

Meanwhile, Gaza health authorities said on Sunday that the Palestinian death toll from Israeli military operations since October 2023 had risen to at least 56,500.

--IANS

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