Israeli soldier, three Palestinian fighters, protester killed in Gaza escalation

The mother of a Palestinian who was killed by Israeli troops east of Khan Younis reacts at hospital in Gaza Strip July 20, 2018. REUTERS/Ibraheem Abu Mustafa

GAZA/JERUSALEM (Reuters) - Palestinian gunmen killed an Israeli soldier along the Gaza border on Friday, said the Israeli military, which launched dozens of strikes into Gaza that killed four Palestinians, including three Hamas fighters.

The soldier was the first to be killed on the Gaza front in active duty since a 2014 war between Israel and Hamas, an Israeli army spokesman said. He was on "operational activity" when he and colleagues came under fire, the military said.