Israel declares Goldin killed

Israel said a special committee had concluded that Goldin had been "killed in battle." Confusion about Goldin's fate had existed since Friday.

Israel's air force had pounded the area where he went missing, killing dozens of Palestinians. Entire apartment buildings were flattened in the southern town of Rafah.

Goldin's death raises the number of Israeli soldiers killed in combat to 64 since Israel began its campaign on July 8, saying it was determined to stop Palestinian militants from firing rockets at Israel and using tunnels to penetrate border areas.

The Gaza death toll given by Palestinian officials rose to 1,675 late on Saturday, most of them civilians. Israel's civilian toll includes two Israeli civilians and a Thai national.

Several ceasefires between Israel and Hamas, the Islamist group that dominates the Gaza Strip, failed to take hold. The most recent on Friday collapsed after the death of two other Israeli soldiers and Goldin's presumed disappearance.

Israel will not attend talks

Ahead of more attempted truce talks on Sunday, Palestinian officials have arrived in Cairo. US Middle East envoy Frank Lowenstein was expected to attend.

Deputy Israeli Foreign Minister Tzahi HaNegbi said Israel's security cabinet had decided not to send a delegation to Cairo and accused Hamas of breaching "any agreement reached right away."

The bloodshed has continued, although pullbacks of troops from two areas of Gaza were interpreted on Saturday as a sign that Israel might be winding down its biggest military operation in Gaza in years.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Hamas would pay "an insufferable price" for continued cross-border rocket fire.

Israel said Palestinian militants launched 74 rockets on Saturday. Most fell without causing harm while seven were shot down by Israel's "Iron Dome" interceptor system.

Netanyahu vows to continue offensive

The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said they had destroyed more than 30 tunnels and dozens of access shafts, amounting to most of Hamas' underground network.

Netanyahu, however, said in a televised speech that the military action would continue even after that goal was achieved, telling Israeli citizens that his Cabinet's aim was to restore "security to you."

The United Nations said its agencies in Gaza were "overstretched." Its agency for Palestinian refugees, UNRWA, was giving shelter to 220,000 people displaced by the fighting, or 15 percent of Gaza's population.

UNICEF said on Saturday that the Palestinian death toll included at least 296 children and adolescents.

Gaza emergency services spokesman Ashraf al-Qudra said over 9,000 Palestinians had been wounded during Israel's almost four-week-long operation.

ipj/slk (AFP, dpa, Reuters)