BBC: Palestinians killed on Gaza beach

Palestinians killed on Gaza beach


Seven people, including three children, have been killed by Israeli shells which hit a beach in the northern Gaza Strip, Palestinian officials say.

At least 30 people were wounded in the shelling, they say.

The Israeli military says it has halted all shelling of Gaza and has launched an inquiry into whether ground-based artillery could have been involved.

Four other people were also killed in separate Israeli air strike in northern Gaza on Friday, Palestinians said.

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http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/middle_east/5065008.stm

http://www.haaretz.com/

IDF apologizes, suspends shelling and orders probe
Many victims said to be children; three militants killed in IAF strike in Gaza; 14 Palestinians killed in past 24 hours; Abbbas slams 'bloody massacre.

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http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/724811.html

7 Palestinians killed when IDF shell hits Gaza beach

By Amos Harel and Avi Issacharoff, Haaretz Correspondents, Haaretz Service and Agencies

At least seven Palestinian civilians were killed Friday evening, when Israel Navy gunboats firing artillery shells hit a beach in the northern Gaza Strip, Palestinian sources said. Some 40 others were wounded.

Among the dead were three children, three women and one man. Many of those wounded in the attack were also children, Palestinian sources said.

The Israel Defense Forces apologized for the incident, saying it "regretted the strike on innocents."

However, IDF sources said that a preliminary investigation showed there had been no shelling from land or sea. IDF Chief of Staff Dan Halutz ordered an end to the shelling until the completion of an investigation into the civilian deaths. The military also offered assistance in the wake of the strike.

Major General Yoav Galant, head of Israel's southern command, said on Friday evening that the army is looking into the circumstances of the explosion. One possibility under examination is that an IDF shell strayed from its path, or that a work accident caused the explosion.

"It is not our intention to harm innocent civilians. We are investigating the incident in order to try to clarify what happened here," he said, adding that the IDF is aware of areas in which civilians are present, and that military gunners are ordered to prevent firing on these areas.

Defense Minister Amir Peretz also expressed his regret over the harming of innocent civilians, and promised to investigate the incident.

"We don't seek to fight against the Palestinian people, only against terror," Peretz said.<snip>

the DU's own little "Freespeech Zone".