Israeli strikes wound Gaza gunmen, civilians, Hamas says
Air Force strike near Beit Hanoun wounds three Palestinian militants as they try to launch makeshift rockets Israel; four civilians injured in two additional air strikes on unoccupied metal foundry, caravan located outside Hamas security position
Just several hours after a Qassam attack on a western Negev kibbutz left two girls lightly wounded, an Israel Air Force missile strike wounded three Palestinian militants in the northern Gaza Strip Wednesday evening as they tried to launch makeshift rockets into the Jewish state, Hamas and medical officials said.
Palestinian sources in the coastal swath said one of the gunmen, from the Izz al-Din al-Qassam Brigades, Hamas' military wing, was gravely wounded in the strike.
An Israeli army spokesman confirmed the strike on Palestinian gunmen near the northern Gaza town of Beit Hanoun.
Earlier, four civilians were wounded by two air strikes on an unoccupied metal foundry and a caravan that was located outside a Hamas security position, the officials said.
The spokesman said the army carried out two attacks on a weapons depot and a weapons manufacturing facility in the central Gaza Strip.
Israel frequently carries out strikes against Gaza militants to try to stop them from launching rockets and mortar shells across the border into nearby towns in the Jewish state.
Two young girls, aged two and 12-years-old, were lightly injured from shrapnel Wednesday afternoon when a Qassam rocket fired from northern Gaza landed near a kindergarten in a western Negev kibbutz.
An hour later another Qassam rocket hit a house in Sderot. No injuries were reported, but the structure was damaged. The Popular Resistance Committees claimed responsibility for the attack.
Yonat Atlas, Shmulik Hadad and Hanan Greenberg contributed to the report
