London, July 22 (IANS): An Israeli soldier is missing in the Gaza Strip and is presumed dead, military officials said Tuesday.
The Israel Defence Forces (IDF) said efforts were underway to identify one of seven Israeli soldiers killed in Shejaiya, near Gaza City Sunday, BBC reported.
In a statement, the IDF said "the identification process of six of the soldiers killed has been completed and confirmed".
"The efforts to identify the seventh soldier are ongoing and have yet to be determined."
The soldiers died when their armoured personnel carrier was attacked.
Nearly 600 Palestinians and 29 Israelis - including 27 soldiers - have died since Israel began its Gaza offensive July 8, targeting Hamas militants.
Hamas Sunday said it had captured an Israeli soldier, but Israel denied the claim.
This comes as diplomatic efforts to broker a truce in Gaza have intensified, with US Secretary of State John Kerry meeting UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon in Cairo.