Gaza: Child killed in IDF strike
IAF fires missiles at home of Hamas member in Sajaiya neighborhood. Missiles hit 8-year-old girl, Palestinian activist; 13 wounded, two sustaining critical wounds. Following attack, Qassam rockets launched at Sderot, hitting power line
Palestinian sources reported that man killed, Ashraf Krauneh, was apparently the target of the attack, a senior member of Hamas' military wing in the area.
Israel Defense Forces officials confirmed that the Air Force struck a building in the northern Strip in which terror activists were hiding.
According to one of the reports, the missiles were fired from an F-16 warplane, and completely destroyed Karuneh's house. The Palestinians reported that the condition of two out of the 13 injured were critical.
Meanwhile, Palestinian sources told Ynet that the IDF instructed another Hamas member to evacuate his house in the Jabalya refugee camp, as the army was planning to bomb the house.
Palestinian medical sources, who received the message from the family, told Ynet that the activist lives a very crowded area, and that if the IDF bombs the house, many could be hurt.
Recently, the IDF informed civilians living in houses constituting targets before bombing the house.
Palestinians injured in Sajaiya strike (Photo: AFP)
Shortly after the Gaza strike, Palestinians launched a Qassam rocket from the northern Gaza Strip at the southern town of Sderot. The rocket landed inside the city, hitting a power line. As a result, there was a blackout in some parts of the city. A baby and her mother were hurt by a shock wave.
Liat Dori, a Sderot resident, told Ynet: "This is the fifth time a Qassam lands here today, and they have recently been heard very loudly. In the past we were extremely afraid, but I recently got used to the phenomenon. We feel like just another city in the south which is suffering from Qassams, and nobody cares about us."
Khan Younis operation continues
In the meantime, IDF soldiers continued to operate in the Khan Younis area as part of Operation Rain Man – an ongoing operation aimed at locating wanted Palestinians and tunnels used to smuggle weapons.
Earlier Thursday, four gunmen were killed in exchanges of fire, which included missiles fired by the IDF and mortar shells fired by the Palestinians. The four gunmen and another 13-year-old boy were all members of one family. Another Palestinian died of his wounds at the hospital.
Power line hit by rocket (Photo: Tsafrir Abayov)
Hamas' military wing, the Izz al-Din al-Qassam Brigades, warned that they would take revenge against Israel, pursuant to the deaths.
The movement's spokesperson Abu Ubeida said, in an interview with Palestinian Maan news agency: "We promise the Israeli enemy many surprises and promise to show previously unrevealed military capabilities. All operations of the Israeli military in Gaza are meant to cover up their failure to release Gilad Shalit."
"Any extensive ground operation of the enemy in Gaza will fail. The enemy gets tangled up every time it enters even a few meters into Palestinian territory, so what will happen if he decides to occupy the entire strip? It won't be a picnic, it will be a disaster," he said.
Shmulik Hadad and Hanan Greenberg contributed to the report
