By Zein Khalil
JERUSALEM (AA) - The mayor of Lod in central Israel confirmed Tuesday evening the death of a soldier from the city in the Gaza battles.
“The painful mourning has struck Lod today with the passing of soldier Nathaniel Bukhris, while he was participating in the 'Swords of Iron' war,” Yair Revivo said on X.
Swords of Iron is Israel's designation for its current war in the besieged Palestinian enclave.
While Revivo did not provide further details regarding Bukhris's death, other Israeli media outlets confirmed his death in a battle in Gaza.
The Israeli army has not yet commented on Bukhris's death.
However, military figures have not changed in the last 24 hours, with the army still reporting 636 deaths since the outbreak of the Gaza conflict on Oct. 7, 2023.
Meanwhile, the number of injuries rose by approximately 13 in the last 24 hours, reaching 3,617, according to the same figures.
Israel has continued its brutal offensive on the Gaza Strip since Oct. 7, 2023, following a Hamas attack despite a UN Security Council resolution demanding an immediate cease-fire in the enclave.
Nearly 36,100 Palestinians have since been killed in Gaza, mostly women and children, and over 81,000 others injured, according to local health authorities.
Nearly eight months into the Israeli war, vast swathes of Gaza lay in ruins amid a crippling blockade of food, clean water and medicine.
Israel stands accused of “genocide” at the International Court of Justice (ICJ), which in its latest ruling has ordered Tel Aviv to immediately halt its operation in Rafah, where over a million Palestinians had sought refuge from the war before it was invaded on May 6.
*Writing by Mohammad Sio