Gaza conflict: Missing Israeli soldier Hadar Goldin 'dead'
Hadar Goldin was believed to have been captured by militants during fighting, leading to the collapse of a ceasefire shortly after it had been declared. Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu has said the operation in Gaza will continue until it restores security to Israelis. Health officials in Gaza say 30 Palestinians died early on Sunday as Israeli air strikes continued. Israeli media also reported fresh militant rocket attacks into Israel, BBC reports. Media reports also say that Israeli forces have withdrawn from some areas of Gaza to a "temporary security strip" to reassess operations. The Gaza officials say that 1,740 Palestinians have now been killed and 9,080 injured since the conflict began more than three weeks ago. Confirmation of Lt Goldin's death means 66 Israelis have now died in the fighting, all but two of them soldiers. A Thai worker in Israel also died. The Israel Defense Forces say 3,127 rockets have been fired from Gaza since 8 July. DNA evidence Hamas had denied it was holding the 23-year-old Lt Goldin captive, saying it did not know the soldier's whereabouts. The military wing of the Islamist group said it had lost contact with some fighters in the area where Israel said the soldier had been seized. It said it believed the fighters and possibly Lt Goldin had been killed in an Israeli airstrike. Israel's defence minister and the chief military rabbi met the soldier's family at their home in the town of Kfar Saba on Saturday night. Hundreds of well-wishers had gathered outside their home and there was an outpouring of grief when the military's announcement was made public. It is understood the army came to its conclusion after examining DNA evidence, reports the BBC's Bethany Bell in Jerusalem. No body has been found. Full story
