Four Palestinians killed in Gaza violence
Soldiers shot and killed a 10-year-old Palestinian girl and three other Palestinians were killed in two missile strikes yesterday during Israel’s massive offensive into the northern Gaza Strip, witnesses and hospital officials said.
The deaths brought the number of Palestinians killed to 89 since Israel began its offensive Sept. 29 to stop Palestinian militants from launching home-made rockets into Israel. Almost half of those killed in the raid were civilians, 18 were age 16 and under.
Early this morning, about 15 Israeli tanks moved toward the village of Beit Lahiya, apparently attempting to enter it for the first time during the offensive. The tank advance was accompanied by explosions and machine-gun fire from helicopters and tanks, which wounded two people, residents said.
Last night, an Israeli helicopter fired a missile at militants planting an explosive device in the Jebaliya refugee camp, a focal point of the offensive, the army said.
Witnesses said the blast went off near a crowd of people gathered in the street, killing one man and severely wounding another. The men were dressed in civilian clothes and were not armed, medics said. A man and his wife also were moderately injured, according to hospital officials.
The blast came about five minutes after an exchange of fire between Palestinians and Israelis, residents said.
Earlier, Samah Samir Nassar, 10, was shot in the stomach and the left leg as she stood on the street in front of her home. She was taken to the local clinic, where she was pronounced dead, medical officials said.
The Israeli army said Palestinian militants in the area fired three anti-tank missiles at soldiers who returned fire, but it was unclear if this exchange was what led to the girl’s death.
Yesterday evening, an Israeli helicopter shot a missile at three militants as they tried to plant a bomb north-east of Jebaliya, the army said.
Residents said the missile hit an area where militants and civilians had gathered, killing two people.
One of those killed was Yasser al-Khatib, 18, a militant, hospital sources said. The second person killed was Mohammed Subuh, 17, who was in civilian clothes. Subuh’s family said he was not a militant.
Four other Palestinians were wounded, and it was unclear whether they were militants.
Also Friday, a 15-year-old Palestinian boy, Hassan Sharadha, died of injuries sustained when Israeli troops fired a tank shell into Jebaliya last week, hospital officials said.
And this morning , an Israeli aircraft fired a missile at a group of Palestinians in the southern Gaza town of Khan Younis, killing two Palestinian security officers who were armed and wearing civilian clothing, hospital and security officials said.
The Israeli military said it had targeted two armed gunmen.
