First Israeli soldier killed in Gaza assault was of Belgian descent

The Belgian newspaper, La Capital, reported on Thursday that the first Israeli soldier killed in the assault on Gaza, which started on 7 July, was a young man of Belgian origin.

According to the newspaper, soldier Eitan Barak was shot dead by friendly fire on 17 July during the ground operation in Beit Hanoun, in northern Gaza, when an army tank mistakenly hit him, causing serious injuries. He was then taken to the hospital, but the military authorities officially declared him dead shortly after his arrival.

The newspaper quoted Henry Gutman, head of the secular Jewish community centre in Brussels, as saying: “The young man is Belgian-Israeli. His mother is from Brussels and moved to Israel. I know his family; his grandmother and uncle still live in Brussels.”

The paper reported that Barak is one of about 50 soldiers in Israel who have Belgian origin.

Israel’s war on Gaza, called “Operation Protective Edge”, has cost the lives of many people, the vast majority of whom are Palestinian civilians.

Since Israel began its assault on the Gaza Strip, more than 800 Palestinians have been killed, with more than 5,000 injured.

On the other side, 32 Israeli soldiers and two Israeli civilians were reported dead, as well as more than 435 wounded, mostly civilians suffering from “panic” due to the sirens that respond to Palestinian rockets. The Al-Qassam Brigades, the armed wing of the Hamas movement, claims that it has killed 76 Israeli soldiers and captured one.