JERUSALEM, May 29 (Xinhua) -- An employee of a private contracting company working on behalf of the Israeli Defense Ministry was killed on Thursday in northern Gaza, the Israeli military said in a statement.
It identified the employee as David Libi, who was carrying out "engineering work for the IDF (Israel Defense Forces) on behalf of the Defense Ministry," without providing details on the circumstances of his death.
Meanwhile, Malachei HaShalom, an illegal Israeli outpost in the northern occupied West Bank, said in a separate statement that Libi, a 19-year-old from the outpost, was killed while operating heavy machinery in Jabalia.
Israel has employed private contractors for engineering work in Gaza since the beginning of its military campaign in October 2023, including for clearing debris from bombed areas, flattening terrain, opening access routes for armored vehicles, demolishing buildings, constructing military posts and barriers, and locating and destroying tunnels.
Israel launched a ground and air offensive in Gaza following the Oct. 7, 2023 attack, in which Hamas-led fighters killed about 1,200 people and took 251 hostages, according to Israeli figures. The ensuing Israeli bombardments have devastated large parts of the enclave, killing more than 54,000 people and wounding over 123,000 others, according to the health authorities in Gaza. ■
