Massive turnout at Gaza funeral for teen girl killed by Israel

Date: 03 / 07 / 2009 Time: 20:22

[Ma'anImages]

Gaza – Ma’an – Large crowds assembled on Friday at the funeral procession for a 17-year-old girl killed by Israeli shelling in central Gaza late on Thursday night.

The procession took to the streets from a local mosque and marched with the body to the girl's final burial place in a nearby cemetery.

Hiam Abu A'yesh, 17, was killed and her 24-year-old brother Husam was injured by shrapnel from an Israeli shell that struck the family's home in the Juhor Ad-Dik neighborhood in the Strip, according to medical officials at Al-Aqsa Hospital.

Israel's military had insisted it had nothing to do with the girl's death, according to a spokesperson quoted in Israeli news reports, adding that its soldiers acted appropriately and professionally, placing the blame on Palestinians fighters.

Nevertheless, just after midnight on Friday the Israeli news agency Ynet, quoting army officials, reported that a probe into the clash ultimately showed that the 17-year-old Palestinian girl was killed by the country's military.