Palestinian death toll at 838 as Israel announces death of soldier

The Israeli army said on Friday that one of its soldiers had been killed in Gaza earlier in the day, bringing the total number of soldiers dead in the fighting to at least 33 as the Palestinian death toll rose to 838.

The army identified the soldier as Yair Ashkenazy, 36, saying he was killed "earlier today during operational activity in the northern Gaza Strip."

Since the beginning of Israel's land invasion of Gaza, 33 Israeli and soldiers have been killed, according to the army.

Palestinian militant groups have announced that they have killed several more soldiers, claiming that the Israeli army has not admitted the deaths of a handful of its troops.

Meanwhile, at least 41 Palestinians were killed in the Gaza Strip in Israeli shelling from air, land, and sea on Friday.

Two Palestinians died in artillery shelling on eastern Khan Younis in the southern Gaza Strip.

20-year-old Palestinian Jihad Hassan Hamad was also killed in Israeli bombing on Rafah.

Imad Abu Kamil, 20, was killed in an Israeli attack on al-Mughraqa in central Gaza, health ministry spokesman Ashraf al-Qidra said.

Meanwhile, seven bodies were pulled from rubble in the Shujaiyya area near Gaza City on Friday.

The bodies show signs of decay, indicating that the people were likely killed during Israeli forces' massive shelling and bombing of Shujaiyya last Sunday.

Two more bodies were pulled from the al-Zaytoun neighborhood of Gaza City. They were identified as Muhammad Yassin Siyam and Rami Muhammad Yassin.

In an initial count, 66 Palestinians were killed during what has been dubbed the "Shujaiyya massacre" on July 20, but several more bodies have been found since then.

Gaza militants continue to launch attacks

Meanwhile, Hamas said it had fired three rockets at Israel's main airport, a day after US and some European airlines had resumed flights after a two-day suspension.

"At 11:45 am, the Qassam Brigades bombarded Ben Gurion airport with three M75 rockets," a statement from Hamas's armed wing said.

EU and US authorities had ordered all commercial flights suspended after a rocket struck near runways on Tuesday, briefly shutting Israeli air links to the outside world in what Hamas claimed as a "victory" in a deadly conflict now in its 18th day.

Additionally, the al-Qassam Brigades said they targeted Ashdod with five grad missiles, Tel Aviv with 5 rockets and an M75 missile, and Ashkelon with five grad missiles.

Fatah's al-Aqsa Brigades claimed responsibility for targeting Beersheba and Ashdod with three grad missiles.