- Palestinian witnesses and medics said that Israel Defense
Forces soldiers opened fire on the funeral of two Palestinian militants
in the southern Gaza Strip on Friday, killing a 12-year-old boy and wounding
seven other people.
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- An IDF source said troops guarding a nearby settlement
fired toward dozens of Palestinians who entered a restricted area away
from the funeral procession, after ignoring warning shots to stop.
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- Palestinian witnesses said soldiers opened fire near
the cemetery in the town of Khan Yunis when children went to throw stones
during the burial of a Gaza-based militant leader and his assistant killed
Thursday in an IDF strike.
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- Witnesses said 20,000 people, including gunmen firing
in the air, marched in the funeral procession. They said IDF gunfire erupted
sporadically as the men were being buried after children went to throw
stones toward a nearby army post.
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- Doctors said a boy believed to be about 12 years old
died of a gunshot to the head and three other children were among the wounded,
including a 13-year-old boy in critical condition.
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- The IDF source said troops fired only at a phalanx of
adults walking in front of children marching toward a security fence and
refusing orders to turn back.
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- The source said soldiers were aware of having hit only
one person. He said Palestinians had often entered the restricted area
before to plant bombs or infiltrate IDF positions.
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- In a separate incident, witnesses said IDF forces shot
and critically wounded a 14-year-old girl in Rafah. The army had no immediate
comment. IDF: Four Palestinians killed in Gaza Earlier Friday, IDF troops
killed four armed Palestinians who were planting an explosive device near
the el-Bureij refugee camp in the Gaza Strip, Army Radio reported.
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- Defense Minister Shaul Mofaz will convene a meeting of
Security officials to discuss continued Qassam-rocket attacks on Israel,
after earlier in the day Palestinians fired five rockets at the Sderot
region in the Negev. Six people were treated for shock, and some municipal
infrastructure sustained damage.
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- Security officials said that IDF operations in northern
Gaza have not proven to be effective in ending the rocket fire, and a reassessment
of the situation is needed.
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- The rockets were fired in two attacks about an hour apart.
In the first volley, two rockets hit open areas. A short time later, three
rockets landed inside the town.
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- Hamas has threatened to continue firing rockets from
the northern Gaza Strip, Israel Radio reported Friday.
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- In an apparent bid to put an end to the rocket-firing,
IDF troops moved to the outskirts of the northern Gaza town of Beit Lahiya
early Friday, residents said. IDF troops have operated in neighboring Beit
Hanun for a month, trying to prevent militants from launching the rockets.
The operation began about a month ago, after two Sderot residents were
killed in a rocket attack.
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