An Australian man has been killed in Gaza after invading the territory with the Israeli army, according to reports.
Reserves tank commander Captain Lior Sivan died while serving in an Israeli armoured brigade in the southern part of the Gaza Strip on December 19, ABC News has reported.
His death was reported by Israeli news outlets last month but was not picked up by Australian media until Tuesday.
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The dual citizen was called to serve in the Israeli Defence Force soon after October 7 when Hamas, considered a terrorist group by the Australian government, killed more than 1200 Israelis and took 240 hostages, according to Tel Aviv officials.
The Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade told 7NEWS it is “aware of reports that an Australian citizen has been killed in Gaza and is urgently seeking further confirmation”.
“We send our condolences to his family during this difficult time and stand ready to provide consular assistance,” DFAT said.
Since the deadly Hamas raid, the Israeli government has unleashed a bombing campaign and ground invasion of the besieged Gaza Strip that has killed nearly 22,000 Palestinians, local health authorities say.
Much of the occupied territory has been reduced to rubble, the vast majority of its 2.3 million citizens have been displaced and thousands are on the brink of starvation because of Israel’s blockade.
Capt Sivan’s father, Dan Sivan, told the ABC that the 32-year-old had risen out of his tank hatch to try shooting a Hamas fighter who had allegedly placed an explosive device on an adjacent tank.
“But it was an ambush and someone hiding behind a building launched something at him,” he said.
Health Minister Mark Butler noted that Capt Sivan’s actions in fighting for the Israeli Defence Force were not against the law.
“It is legal for Australians to fight as part of the formal armed forces of a foreign nation, which we understand is what this young man has been doing,” he said on Tuesday.
It comes after two Australians — including an alleged Hezbollah fighter — were killed by an Israeli airstrike on Lebanon in late December.
Butler said the government was still seeking to establish whether the man was associated with the listed terrorist organisation, but reminded Australians that these activities could have serious consequences such as the cancellation of passports.
“It is a criminal offence for Australians to engage in hostile activities overseas other than as part of the formal armed forces of a foreign nation,” he said.
The government has urged Australians not to travel to Lebanon and warns the roughly 15,000 citizens remaining in the region to leave at the earliest possible opportunity.
