IDF tank near Beit Hanoun
Photo: Reuters
Palestinians: Teen killed by IDF fire in Gaza
Sources say 16-year-old boy killed by tank shell fire at homes in Beit Hanoun; IDF: No forces operating in area
Palestinian sources said a 16-year-old boy was killed Monday by IDF fire in the north Gaza town of Beit Hanoun. According to the report, the teenager, Nahed Shinbari, was struck by shrapnel from a tank shell fired toward residents’ homes. Witnesses said the boy died prior to his arrival at a local hospital.
Palestinian sources said the IDF has been incessantly firing artillery shells toward north Gaza in the past few hours, adding that a two-year-old girl sustained light injuries during the incident in which the boy was killed.
The IDF said in response that there are no army forces operating in the area at this time and denied conducting any tank or artillery fire toward Beit Hanoun.
Sources in Gaza said the Rafah crossing in the southern part of the Strip will open on Tuesday to allow the passage to Egypt of certain residents, mainly students who wish to register in universities outside the territories and people in need of special medical care.
The Rafah crossing was shut down following the kidnapping of Corporal Gilad Shalit last month, but two weeks ago gunmen managed to blow a hole in the security fence, and thousands of Palestinians who were stuck on the Egyptian side poured into the Strip. Three days later Israel security forces permitted the opening of the crossing for a number of hours to allow the remaining Palestinians left on the other side of the border to enter Gaza.
