British-Israeli soldier killed in explosion in Gaza
IDF name soldier as 20-year-old Sergeant Yisrael Natan Rosenfeld from city of Ra’anana
A British-Israeli soldier has been killed while fighting in northern Gaza, according to the Israel Defense Forces.
The IDF named the soldier as 20-year-old Sergeant Yisrael Natan Rosenfeld from the city of Ra’anana.
It said in a statement issued on Sunday: “SGT Yisrael, a soldier in the 601st Combat Engineering Battalion of the 401st Brigade, fell during combat in northern Gaza.
“The IDF sends its deepest condolences to his family and loved ones. May his memory be a blessing.”
The UK Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office said it is “looking into reports that an IDF soldier who died in combat in Gaza is a British national”.
Mr Rosenfeld was previously named locally and in Israeli media.
The Times of Israel reported he was killed by an explosive device on Sunday.
The paper said the soldier had moved to Israel from London with his family 11 years ago.
Israel has been operating in Gaza since the Hamas militant group’s 7 October 2023 attack on Israel.
More than 860 Israeli soldiers have been killed since the war began, including more than 400 during the fighting in Gaza.
US-led ceasefire efforts have repeatedly stalled.
The Israeli offensive has devastated Gaza and killed more than 56,000 people, according to Gaza’s Health Ministry, a branch of the Hamas government.
The death toll is by far the highest in any round of Israeli-Palestinian fighting.
On Sunday, US president Donald Trump urged progress in ceasefire talks, though some weary Palestinians were sceptical about the chances.
“MAKE THE DEAL IN GAZA. GET THE HOSTAGES BACK!!!” Mr Trump wrote on social media early in the morning, after raising expectations on Friday by saying there could be an agreement within the next week.
Ron Dermer, a top adviser to prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu, was set to travel to Washington this week for talks on a ceasefire, an Israeli official said, and plans were being made for Mr Netanyahu to travel there in the coming weeks, a sign there may be movement on a deal.
Mr Netanyahu was meeting with his security Cabinet on Sunday evening, the official said on condition of anonymity to discuss plans that had not been finalized.
Meanwhile, Israel issued a new mass evacuation order for parts of northern Gaza.