Israeli soldier, 13 Palestinians killed as fierce clashes persist in Gaza: Sources

Gaza/Jerusalem, June 7 (IANS) At least 13 Palestinians were killed in the Israeli bombing of a house and a youth gathering in the Gaza Strip, Palestinian sources have said.Israeli warplanes on Thursday bombed a house east of Khan Younis city in southern Gaza with at least one missile, Xinhua news agency reported, citing Palestinian security sources.Medical sources said the airstrike killed eight people, including children and women, and injured several others, all of whom had been taken to hospital.On the same day, a drone targeted a gathering of youths in the Al-Shati refugee camp in northern Gaza, according to local sources and eyewitnesses. The drone attack had resulted in five deaths, medical sources said.Meanwhile, the Israeli army claimed that its soldiers encountered Palestinian militants who emerged from a tunnel shaft in southern Gaza, about 200 meters away from the Israeli border.It confirmed one of its soldiers, identified as 34-year-old Zeed Mazarib from Zarzir in northern Israel, was killed.Earlier in the day, Hamas armed wing Al-Qassam Brigades said it blew up a tunnel entrance set by Israeli forces near Rafah as a trap, killing five Israeli soldiers inside.Israel has been conducting a large-scale offensive against Hamas in Gaza to retaliate against a Hamas rampage through the southern Israeli border on October 7, 2023, during which about 1,200 people were killed and more than 200 were taken hostage.The Palestinian death toll from the ongoing Israeli attacks in the enclave has risen to 36,654, with 83,309 people injured, updated the Gaza health authorities on Thursday.--IANSint/sha

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