Israel returns fire on Gaza — 4 killed, 25 hurt
GAZA CITY — Palestinian militants fired an antitank missile at an Israeli jeep patrolling the border with Gaza and the Israelis fired back into the Palestinian territory, killing four civilians, officials and witnesses said.
Israel’s military said four of its soldiers were wounded in the missile attack, including one seriously. Ashraf al-Kidra, a Gaza health ministry spokesman, said all four Palestinians killed were civilians between the ages of 16 and 18 and that among the 25 wounded were children.
The military wing of the leftist Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine took responsibility but it still remains unclear whom in fact was behind the attack. The PFLP frequently takes credit for attacks that later turn out to be the work of Hamas or Islamic Jihad militants.
Gaza militants often fire rockets from the Israel-Gaza border area toward nearby Israeli communities and lowlevel clashes with the Israeli military are common. But when casualties are involved, particularly civilians, the potential for escalation grows significantly.
Later Saturday, some 25 Palestinian rockets rained on southern Israel, though they caused no injuries or damage, the military said. The military informed residents to stay close to home in case of further rocket attacks.
Palestinian officials said an Israeli air strike later killed one Islamic jihad militant and wounded two others as they were attempting to fire rockets toward Israel. The Israeli military confirmed the strike.
Witnesses said that following the large explosion that started the incident, Israel retaliated with tank and machine gun fire toward residential areas at the al-Muntar hill in the central part of the territory, hitting people who were returning from a funeral east of Gaza City.
Israel carried out a broad military offensive in Gaza nearly four years ago in response to years of near daily rocket fire. Major salvos from Gaza have subsided since then, but sporadic rocket fire has continued.
Gaza’s Islamist Hamas rulers have largely refrained from rocket attacks since the devastating Israeli military offensive that killed hundreds of Palestinians.
Hamas, which has killed hundreds of Israelis in suicide bombings and other attacks, seized Gaza five years ago during a brief civil war against the rival Fatah movement.