Saturday, February 4, 2012

2 hurt in Israeli attack on northern Gaza


A boy collects materials salvaged from the debris of a damaged smuggling
tunnel after it was targeted in an Israeli air strike in Rafah, in the southern
Gaza Strip February 3, 2012. (REUTERS/Ibraheem Abu Mustafa)
GAZA CITY (Ma'an) -- Israeli warplanes fired on sites across the Gaza Strip early Friday, injuring a young man and a child in northern city Beit Lahiya, a Ma'an correspondent and medical officials said.

Medical officials said the child suffered serious injuries to the head and hands. A young man was also hurt, and he was taken to hospital, said Gaza health official Adham Abu Salmiya.

In southern Gaza, Israeli forces fired on a house east of Rafah and open lands near Bani Suheila east of Khan Younis, Salmiya added.

At least one of the airstrikes targeted a tunnel in Rafah, onlookers said.

An Israeli army statement said the strikes "targeted two weapon storing facilities in the northern Gaza Strip, three terror tunnels in the southern Gaza Strip and a weapon manufacturing facility in the central Gaza Strip."

"Direct hits were confirmed as well as secondary explosions at several targets," the statement said, adding that the strike was in response to rocket fire from Gaza.

Seven projectiles were fired at southern Israel from the Gaza Strip on Wednesday with no reported injuries, Israeli news site Ynet reported.

Later, Israeli tanks opened fired on a crowd of people in northern city Beit Hanoun, medics told Ma'an.