Palestinian Girl Killed, Four Wounded in Israel Strike on Gaza
إقرأ هذا الخبر بالعربية
A three-year-old Palestinian girl was killed in an Israeli raid on the Gaza Strip after the fatal shooting Tuesday of an Israeli near the Gaza border, in the latest uptick in Israeli-Palestinian violence.
Cross-border exchanges between Israel and Gaza have increased in recent days, and Israel said Tuesday it held Islamist movement Hamas responsible, as rulers of the Palestinian enclave, for any fire directed from there at the Jewish state.
Palestinian medics named the dead girl as Hala Abu Sabikha from a refugee camp in the central Gaza Strip.
They said at least six other people had been wounded in the series of tank and air strikes throughout Gaza, including on militant positions.
The Israeli army said its aircraft, tanks and infantry "targeted terror sites in the Gaza Strip."
"The sites included a weapon-manufacturing facility and a terror infrastructure in the southern Gaza Strip, a terror site and another terror infrastructure in the central Gaza Strip and a concealed rocket launcher in the northern Gaza Strip."
The army said the attacks were in retaliation for the shooting of an Israeli man who was engaged in maintenance work on the Israel-Gaza border fence in the northern Gaza Strip.
A police spokeswoman identified him as Saleh Abu Latif, 22, a Bedouin from the southern town of Rahat.
The army said Abu Latif was the "first Israeli civilian killed in the vicinity of the Gaza Strip" since a major eight-day outbreak of fighting in and around Gaza in November 2012.
Just ahead of the air strikes, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu warned that Israel would respond "forcefully" to the attack.
On Monday, the army said troops had fired at an individual "trying to place a bomb" near the fence in northern Gaza.
Earlier the same day, police reported a rocket fired from the Hamas-ruled coastal enclave had hit southern Israel without causing any casualties or damage.
A Palestinian was shot and wounded by Israeli soldiers on Friday in southern Gaza, a day after another Palestinian was killed and four wounded along the heavily fortified fence.
Israeli Defense Minister Moshe Yaalon stressed on Tuesday that "in Gaza, Hamas is ruler, and we hold it responsible for the shooting today from the Strip and the rocket launches in the past two days at Israel."
"I advise Hamas to not test our patience," he said in a statement. "If there won't be quiet in Israel, there won't be quiet in Gaza either."
A statement from Hamas, which does not recognize Israeli, said "the occupier and its raids will not deter or stop the resistance."
24 December 2013, 15:12
40
By the way, he has since died.
This is the "Government" of the Gaza Strip, which refuses to even recognise Israel's right to exist.
24 December 2013, 16:53
00
Before you Shia & Sunni crazies begin to congratulate yourselves on the murder of an Israeli. Please note: He was identified as Salah Shukri Abu Latyef, 22, from Rahat.
24 December 2013, 18:43
22
the little girl was probebly a hamas soldier in disgused. israhell w truly the biggest terrorist
24 December 2013, 21:07
12
Israel is guilty of her death. Don't be selective. If hezb were to raid bab el tabbeneh and kill a little girl, you would not be blaming the armed groups or mustaqbal, you would only blame hezb. If you go by the the slogan "the enemy (israel) of my enemy (iran and those they support/supported) is my friend" then you are gravely misstaken. People have the right to resist and attack those who have done what israel has done alone, not to mention that every day israel comits crimes in the besieged gaza strip, no truce deal have been respected by israel. Fear Allah in your words.
24 December 2013, 21:15
12
Allah yer7ama. Europeans and other aliens are living in what is supposed to be her town while she was forced to live in the largest prison of the world banned from living where she belongs only to be forced to succumb to her occupiers bombings. Indeed, there will be ra7meh for her whereas israel will find no ra7meh.
25 December 2013, 00:05
12
Hey million talk to your Tafkiri mates, and ask them to go to Gaza and blow themsleves there instead of attacking & killing the Lebanese army.
25 December 2013, 02:23
11
the1habibshartouni, they are not my mates neither are hezbo takfiris. I do not support militias who are thugs regardless of their religious affiliation. Fighting on the same side as bashar el assad as the hezb does is a crime just like fighting on the same side of ksa-sponsored militas is. Surely, the other takfiris in syria (foreign khawrjite militias) have caused more damage than hezb (foreign 12:er militia), but they have not caused more damage than bashars regime and state militias nor would the enemies of syria been able to import these thugs had it not been for bashars stupidity and dictatorship. At the end of the day, i would not like to live under the law of either side nor would i be able to support either side and still have a clear consience. My support is with the people and i condemn all the breaches of morality, the unjust killings, the raping, the looting, the cleansing, the bombings, the kidnappings, the torture, the shellings by air - all of it.
25 December 2013, 14:17
00
so hamas kills an israeli and he turns out to be a fellow arab muslim. what a bunch of idiots.
