Externe

Saed Bannoura - IMEMC



Jan 18, 2009

Palestinian medical sources in Khan Younis, in the southern part of the Gaza Strip, reported on Sunday morning that Israeli soldiers killed one resident in Khuza'a town, east of Khan Younis. The sources added that rescue teams and medics located the bodies of 35 residents after the army withdrew from areas in the northern part of the Gaza Strip.

The slain man is the first to be killed after Israel declared its unilateral ceasefire which came in effect at 02:00 on Sunday at dawn.

The Israeli army claimed that the slain man was in an area used by Palestinian fighters who fired homemade shells into adjacent Israeli areas.

The slain man was a civilian, medics reported. Several other residents were wounded.

The army also said that soldiers were returning fire at Palestinian gunmen when the man was killed, Israeli online daily, Haaretz, reported.

Haaretz added that the a spokesperson of the army said that "soldiers acted according to the rules of engagement", and vowed that the army would retaliate harshly to any attack against the soldiers in Gaza.

Meanwhile, resistance factions in Gaza said that they fired at least five homemade shells at the Israeli Negev town of Sderot in retaliation to the Israeli attack.

On Sunday morning, medics and rescue teams located the bodies of 35 residents in different parts of the Gaza Strip.

Most of the bodies were buried under the rubble of shelled civilian facilities and homes.

Medical sources in Gaza reported that in 22 days of Israeli offensive against the Gaza Strip, Israeli soldiers killed 1206 Palestinians, including 415 children, 110 women and 115 elderly. Five women baring international citizenships were also killed in the offensive.

The number of Palestinians wounded in the offensive arrived to 5320; half of them were children and women, and 450 are in serious conditions.

Besides civilian homes, the shelling also targeted schools, mosques, UNRWA facilities, hospitals, and several other civilian facilities.

On Saturday morning, the army shelled an UNRWA school in Beit Lahia, in the northern part of the Gaza Strip. At least 1800 displaced civilians were taking shelter in the school. Israeli soldiers shelled 67 schools, including 36 UNRWA schools, during the offensive.

http://www.uruknet.info/?p=m50970&s1=h1