Palestinian medical sources said on Friday that paramedic Atef Zamili was killed in an airstrike on his vehicle and that seven passengers were wounded.

Zamili's death brings to 16 the number of health workers who have been killed in Israeli strikes since the beginning of the assault on July 8. This is 13th ambulance to be targeted in an Israeli attack, according to the ministry of health.

Meanwhile, Israeli troops widened their assault across the Gaza Strip on Friday afternoon, launching further ground movements in Shujaiyya in eastern Gaza City, Beit Hanoun in the northern Gaza Strip, and Khan Younis in the southern Gaza Strip.

The expansion of the invasion comes after Zionist authorities said one of its soldiers was captured during an attack on its military position east of Rafah inside the Gaza Strip.

Hamas said that it attacked the position an hour before a ceasefire was due to start at 8 p.m., saying that it was a response to Israeli troop movements in the area as well as the deaths of 16 Palestinians in continued Israeli shelling and airstrikes overnight.

Hamas did not, however, take responsibility for the capture of the soldier, saying that the Israeli regime had fabricated the claim.

Israeli forces pounded the Gaza Strip all Friday afternoon following the attack, as Zionist authorities vowed a "crushing" response to what they called a ceasefire violation.

At least 40 were killed in intense shelling of Rafah and at least a dozen more have been killed in air strikes and shelling since then.

The deaths bring the total in the Zionist assault to more than 1,600 as well as nearly 9,000 injured, in one of the deadliest sustained campaigns against Palestinians in recent history.

Many more are believed to be dead but stuck under the rubble of destroyed buildings, and thus not yet accounted for by Gaza medical officials.

NTJ/MB