JERUSALEM, Oct. 29 (Xinhua) -- Israel began carrying out renewed strikes in the Gaza Strip on Tuesday, claiming that militants in the Palestinian enclave had shot dead an Israeli soldier.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Tuesday instructed the military to "immediately carry out forceful strikes in the Gaza Strip," his office said in a statement.
The overnight strikes killed at least 63 people, including over 20 children, Gaza health authorities reported on Wednesday.
The Israel Defense Ministry identified the killed soldier as Yona Efraim Feldbaum, a 37-year-old Master Sergeant who served in the Combat Engineering Corps of the Gaza Division.
The military said he "fell during combat in the southern Gaza Strip," not disclosing which group was responsible or immediately responding to a Xinhua request for comments on whether Hamas killed him.
Feldbaum was killed in an attack in Rafah in southern Gaza when militants opened fire at his bulldozer during an operation, according to Israel's state-owned Army Radio. Shortly afterwards, an anti-tank missile was also fired but caused no casualties, said the military.
In a statement on Tuesday night, Hamas denied any involvement in the Rafah shooting and reaffirmed "its commitment to the ceasefire agreement." The group condemned what it called the "criminal bombardment" across Gaza by Israel.
Despite the ceasefire, which took effect on Oct. 10, Israeli warplanes have resumed bombardments of the Gaza Strip, striking southern and eastern Gaza City, Al-Bureij refugee camp in central Gaza, and the Al-Amal neighborhood in Khan Younis in the south.
U.S. President Donald Trump said on Wednesday that the ceasefire would hold, telling reporters that "nothing" would jeopardize it. He added that Israel "should hit back" as its soldier was killed. ■
