Israeli army says 4th soldier killed in Hamas Kerem Shalom attack

By Anadolu staff

JERUSALEM (AA) - The Israeli army announced the death of a fourth soldier in the Hamas attack on the Kerem Shalom area, according to Israeli media on Monday.

Hamas’ armed wing, the Qassam Brigades, said early Sunday that it targeted Israeli soldiers near the Kerem Shalom settlement with short-range missiles.

The Israeli army announced the death of Sergeant Mikhail Rozel, 18, as a result of the shelling of Kerem Shalom, Israeli's public broadcaster reported.

The army said Sunday evening that three officers were killed and three others seriously injured in the attack.

Israel has waged a brutal military offensive on the Gaza Strip in retaliation for a cross-border attack led by Hamas, which killed about 1,200 people.

Nearly 34,700 Palestinians have since been killed in Gaza, the vast majority of whom have been women and children, and 78,000 others injured, according to Palestinian health authorities.

Nearly seven months into the Israeli war, vast swathes of Gaza lay in ruins, pushing 85% of the enclave’s population into internal displacement amid a crippling blockade of food, clean water and medicine, according to the UN.

Israel stands accused of genocide at the International Court of Justice. An interim ruling in January said it is "plausible" that Israel is committing genocide in Gaza, and ordered Tel Aviv to stop such acts and take measures to guarantee that humanitarian assistance is provided to civilians in Gaza.

*Writing by Mohammad Sio in Istanbul