June 25, 2026, 00:22 (AFP)

Israeli Forces Confirm Contractor Fatality in Gaza During Operations

• Israel now claims control of at least 70 percent of the Gaza Strip, up from just over half following its initial withdrawal on the first day of the ceasefire.

JERUSALEM – The Israeli military reported that a contractor employee was killed in an “operational accident” in the Gaza Strip on Wednesday, marking the sixth Israeli death in the Palestinian territory since hostilities were halted with Hamas. The incident occurred during ongoing IDF and security force activity in Gaza. The army has not yet released the man’s identity but confirmed that he was an Israeli citizen.

The Gaza conflict began following Hamas’s October 7, 2023, attack on Israel and has persisted for two years. Although a ceasefire was inaugurated last October, sporadic violence continues as each side accuses the other of violating the truce. According to Gaza’s health ministry—operated under Hamas authority and deemed reliable by the United Nations—the Israeli military has killed at least 1,027 people since the ceasefire began. Conversely, Israel reports five soldier casualties in Gaza during the same period.

The stalled second phase of the U.S.-backed ceasefire framework called for a phased Israeli withdrawal and an arms surrender by Hamas, neither of which has materialised. As a result, Israel now states it controls at least 70 percent of Gaza, surpassing the roughly 50 percent it held after the first day of the ceasefire.

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