Israeli Soldier Dies of Wounds from Pre-Truce Gaza Rocket

An Israeli reserves officer died on Thursday of wounds sustained in a rocket attack that occurred hours before a truce to end eight days of violence in and around Gaza was agreed between Israel and Hamas.

A statement from the Israeli army named the casualty as "Lieutenant Boris Yarmulnik, 28 years old from Netanya," who "died of his wounds... after a rocket fired from the Gaza Strip hit the Eshkol Regional Council (Wednesday) afternoon."

His death raises the toll of Israelis killed by rocket fire from Gaza to six since November 14, two of them soldiers.

A total of 163 Palestinians died in the eight-day Israeli air operation directed against Gaza militants firing rockets into the Jewish state.

The truce to end the fighting was announced in Cairo on Wednesday evening, with both sides expected to stop cross-border fire and Gaza rulers Hamas expected to enforce its terms on the various militant groups in the Palestinian territory.

During the eight eight-day operation, the army said it hit more than 1,500 targets, as Gaza militants fired 1,354 rockets over the border, 421 of which were intercepted by the Iron Dome anti-missile system.