British Israeli soldier killed in Gaza, reports say
He was named locally as 20-year-old Sergeant Yisrael Natan Rosenfeld from the city of Ra'anana.
The 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'.
The IDF soldier, of the 601st Combat Engineering Battalion, was killed by an explosive device on Sunday, the Times of Israel reported.
The paper said Mr Rosenfeld moved to Israel from London with his family 11 years ago.
Israel has been operating in Gaza since the Hamas militant group's October 7 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.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
South Wales Argus
13 minutes ago
- South Wales Argus
Bob Vylan claim they are being ‘targeted' for speaking up about Palestine
They were criticised after leading chants of 'Death, death to the IDF (Israel Defence Forces)' during a livestreamed performance at the Somerset music festival on Saturday afternoon. The BBC apologised after the set at the West Holts Stage was livestreamed, saying on Monday describing the chants were 'antisemitic sentiments' that were 'unacceptable'. Bobby Vylan, one half of the British duo, also led his audience in chants that included 'Free, free Palestine'. Posting a statement on Instagram on Tuesday, captioned 'Silence is not an option', the group said: 'Today, a good many people would have you believe a punk band is the number one threat to world peace. 'Last week it was a Palestine pressure group. The week before that it was another band.' Bob Vylan performed on the West Holts Stage slot directly before Irish rap trip Kneecap, whose member Liam Og O hAnnaidh, also known as Mo Chara, appeared in court in June charged with a terror offence. Kneecap also led the Glastonbury audience in 'Free Palestine' chants, and on Monday Avon and Somerset Police said it had launched a probe into both performances after reviewing video footage and audio recordings. The Bob Vylan statement continued: 'We are not for the death of Jews, Arabs or any other race or group of people. 'We are for the dismantling of a violent military machine. A machine whose own soldiers were told to use 'unnecessary lethal force' against innocent civilians waiting for aid. 'A machine that has destroyed much of Gaza.' The statement added: 'We, like those in the spotlight before us, are not the story. 'We are a distraction from the story. And whatever sanctions we receive will be a distraction. 'The Government doesn't want us to ask why they remain silent in the face of this atrocity? To ask why they aren't doing more to stop the killing? To feed the starving? Bobby Vylan crowd-surfs during his performance on the West Holts Stage (Yui Mok/PA) 'The more time they talk about Bob Vylan the less time they spend answering for their criminal inaction. 'We are being targeted for speaking up. We are not the first, we will not be the last, and if you care for the sanctity of human life and freedom of speech, we urge you to speak up too.' Avon and Somerset Police said it had launched a probe into both the Bob Vylan and Kneecap performances, with a senior detective appointed to lead the investigation. A force spokesman said: 'This has been recorded as a public order incident at this time while our inquiries are at an early stage. 'The investigation will be evidence-led and will closely consider all appropriate legislation, including relating to hate crimes.' Mo Chara and Moglai Bap of Kneecap performing on the West Holts Stage during the Glastonbury Festival at Worthy Farm in Somerset (Ben Birchall/PA) The BBC has faced strong criticism for continuing to livestream the Bob Vylan performance on iPlayer with on-screen warnings about discriminatory language. It has since been revealed that BBC director-general Tim Davie was at Glastonbury when the pro-Palestine chants were broadcast. A BBC spokesperson said: 'The director-general was informed of the incident after the performance and at that point he was clear it should not feature in any other Glastonbury coverage.' Bob Vylan have now been banned from the US, where they were due to tour in autumn with performances in Chicago, Brooklyn and Philadelphia. US deputy secretary of state Christopher Landau said the duo's visas were revoked for their 'hateful tirade at Glastonbury'. Bobby Vylan is the stage name of Pascal Robinson-Foster, 34, according to reports, while his bandmate drummer uses the alias Bobbie Vylan. The group was formed in Ipswich in 2017, and are known for addressing political issues in their albums including racism, masculinity and class. The group are expected to perform at Radar Festival in Manchester on Saturday and at the Boardmasters surfing and music festival in Newquay, Cornwall in August.
Powys County Times
13 minutes ago
- Powys County Times
Charities call for end to Israeli-backed aid group as dozens more die in Gaza
Dozens of international charities and non-governmental organisations have called for an Israeli and US-backed aid mechanism for Gaza to be disbanded over repeated deadly violence against Palestinians heading towards its sites. At least seven Palestinians were killed seeking aid in southern and central Gaza between late Monday and early Tuesday. The deaths came after Israeli forces killed at least 74 people in Gaza earlier on Monday with air strikes that left 30 dead at a seaside cafe and gunfire that killed 23 as Palestinians tried to get desperately needed food aid, witnesses and health officials said. The war has killed more than 56,000 Palestinians, according to Gaza's Health Ministry, which does not distinguish between civilians and combatants but says more than half of the dead were women and children. The Health Ministry on Tuesday afternoon said the bodies of 116 people killed by Israeli strikes had been taken to hospitals in Gaza over the past 24 hours. The Hamas attack in October 2023 that sparked the war killed 1,200 people, mostly civilians, and took 251 others hostage. Some 50 hostages remain, many of them thought to be dead. More than 165 major international charities and non-governmental organisations, including Oxfam, Save the Children and Amnesty, called on Tuesday for an immediate end to the Gaza Humanitarian Fund. 'Palestinians in Gaza face an impossible choice: starve or risk being shot while trying desperately to reach food to feed their families,' the group said in a joint news release. The call by the charities and NGOs was the latest sign of trouble for the GHF — a secretive US and Israeli-backed initiative headed by an evangelical leader who is a close ally of Donald Trump. GHF started distributing aid on May 26, following a nearly three-month Israeli blockade which has pushed Gaza's population of more than two million people to the brink of famine. In a statement on Tuesday, the organisation said it has delivered more than 52 million meals over five weeks. 'Instead of bickering and throwing insults from the sidelines, we would welcome other humanitarian groups to join us and feed the people in Gaza,' the statement said. 'We are ready to collaborate and help them get their aid to people in need. At the end of the day, the Palestinian people need to be fed.' Last month, the organisation said there had been no violence in or around its distribution centres and that its personnel had not opened fire. According to Gaza's Health Ministry, more than 500 Palestinians have been killed around the chaotic and controversial aid distribution programme over the past month. Palestinians are often forced to travel long distances to access the GHF hubs in hopes of obtaining aid. The GHF is the linchpin of a new aid system that took distribution away from aid groups led by the UN. The new mechanism limits food distribution to a small number of hubs under guard of armed contractors, where people must go to pick it up. Currently four hubs are set up, all close to Israeli military positions. Israel had demanded an alternative plan because it accuses Hamas of siphoning off aid. The United Nations and aid groups deny there was significant diversion, and say the new mechanism allows Israel to use food as a weapon, violates humanitarian principles and will not be effective. The Israeli military said it had recently taken steps to improve organisation in the area. Israel says it only targets militants and blames civilian deaths on Hamas, accusing the militants of hiding among civilians because they operate in populated areas. Of the latest seven deaths by Israeli fire, three occurred in Gaza's southern city of Khan Younis, while four were killed in central Gaza. More than 65 others were wounded, according to the Awda Hospital in the Nuseirat refugee camp, and the Al-Quds Hospital in Gaza City, which received the casualties. They were among thousands of starved Palestinians who gather at night to take aid from passing trucks in the area of the Netzarim route in central Gaza. An 11-year-old girl was killed on Tuesday when an Israeli strike hit her family's tent west of Khan Younis, according to the Kuwait field hospital that received her body. The UN Palestinian aid agency also said Israel's military struck one of its schools sheltering displaced people in Gaza City on Monday. The strike caused no casualties but caused significant damage, UNRWA said.
Powys County Times
13 minutes ago
- Powys County Times
Bob Vylan claim they are being ‘targeted' for speaking up about Palestine
Punk rap duo Bob Vylan have said they are being 'targeted for speaking up' after police began an investigation into comments made during their set at the Glastonbury Festival. They were criticised after leading chants of 'Death, death to the IDF (Israel Defence Forces)' during a livestreamed performance at the Somerset music festival on Saturday afternoon. The BBC apologised after the set at the West Holts Stage was livestreamed, saying on Monday describing the chants were 'antisemitic sentiments' that were 'unacceptable'. View this post on Instagram A post shared by Bob Vylan (@bobbyvylan) Bobby Vylan, one half of the British duo, also led his audience in chants that included 'Free, free Palestine'. Posting a statement on Instagram on Tuesday, captioned 'Silence is not an option', the group said: 'Today, a good many people would have you believe a punk band is the number one threat to world peace. 'Last week it was a Palestine pressure group. The week before that it was another band.' Bob Vylan performed on the West Holts Stage slot directly before Irish rap trip Kneecap, whose member Liam Og O hAnnaidh, also known as Mo Chara, appeared in court in June charged with a terror offence. Kneecap also led the Glastonbury audience in 'Free Palestine' chants, and on Monday Avon and Somerset Police said it had launched a probe into both performances after reviewing video footage and audio recordings. The Bob Vylan statement continued: 'We are not for the death of Jews, Arabs or any other race or group of people. 'We are for the dismantling of a violent military machine. A machine whose own soldiers were told to use 'unnecessary lethal force' against innocent civilians waiting for aid. 'A machine that has destroyed much of Gaza.' The statement added: 'We, like those in the spotlight before us, are not the story. 'We are a distraction from the story. And whatever sanctions we receive will be a distraction. 'The Government doesn't want us to ask why they remain silent in the face of this atrocity? To ask why they aren't doing more to stop the killing? To feed the starving? 'The more time they talk about Bob Vylan the less time they spend answering for their criminal inaction. 'We are being targeted for speaking up. We are not the first, we will not be the last, and if you care for the sanctity of human life and freedom of speech, we urge you to speak up too.' Avon and Somerset Police said it had launched a probe into both the Bob Vylan and Kneecap performances, with a senior detective appointed to lead the investigation. A force spokesman said: 'This has been recorded as a public order incident at this time while our inquiries are at an early stage. 'The investigation will be evidence-led and will closely consider all appropriate legislation, including relating to hate crimes.' The BBC has faced strong criticism for continuing to livestream the Bob Vylan performance on iPlayer with on-screen warnings about discriminatory language. It has since been revealed that BBC director-general Tim Davie was at Glastonbury when the pro-Palestine chants were broadcast. A BBC spokesperson said: 'The director-general was informed of the incident after the performance and at that point he was clear it should not feature in any other Glastonbury coverage.' Bob Vylan have now been banned from the US, where they were due to tour in autumn with performances in Chicago, Brooklyn and Philadelphia. US deputy secretary of state Christopher Landau said the duo's visas were revoked for their 'hateful tirade at Glastonbury'. Bobby Vylan is the stage name of Pascal Robinson-Foster, 34, according to reports, while his bandmate drummer uses the alias Bobbie Vylan. The group was formed in Ipswich in 2017, and are known for addressing political issues in their albums including racism, masculinity and class. The group are expected to perform at Radar Festival in Manchester on Saturday and at the Boardmasters surfing and music festival in Newquay, Cornwall in August.
