Four children die in latest Gaza violence

28/04/2008

Four children are among seven Palestinians who have lost their lives following a raid into the Gaza Strip by the Israel i military.

An aircraft operated by the Jewish state targeted a group of gunmen who had earlier fired at an army patrol in the area, the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) said in a statement.

Palestinian militants have frequently been accused of launching attacks from within the civilian population - something which the IDF claims is a deliberate attempt to drum up civilian casualties for propaganda purposes.

Palestinian militant groups, however, contend that they lack the military prowess of Israel and so must deploy riskier urban guerrilla warfare tactics.

The latest incident occurred when soldiers staging an incursion called in an airstrike against a one-story family home during breakfast. "They were eating and they were hit," the BBC quoted a witness as saying.

Two girls and two boys aged between one and six were among the dead, doctors at a local hospital reported, while several other people were also left critically injured from the blast.

A spokesperson for the IDF said they were attacking gunmen who fired at its troops during the incursion, which they said was necessary to "ensure that rocket crews, snipers and tunnel diggers are kept away from the border fence".

Over the weekend, Israel dismissed an offer from Palestinian militant group Hamas for a six-month truce, accusing the organisation of seeking to "re-arm and re-group".


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