Israeli Airstrike Kills Palestinian Child In Gaza

Gaza, Jumadil Akhir 1437/13 March 2016 (MINA)  – A Palestinian boy was killed in the Gaza Strip early Saturday – and two others injured – by an Israeli airstrike, said Gaza’s Health Ministry.

Suliman Abu-Khousa, 10, was killed when Israeli warplanes struck targets in the town of Beit Lahia in the northern Gaza Strip, ministry spokesman Ashraf al-Qudra said.

Two other children were seriously injured by flying shrapnel caused by the airstrike, according to the spokesman, Midlle East Monitor (MEMO) quoted by Mi’raj Islamic News Agency (MINA) as reporting.

In a statement, the Israeli army said its warplanes had targeted four “training camps” belonging to Palestinian resistance movement Hamas, which since 2007 has governed the blockaded coastal territory.

According to the army, the airstrikes were carried out in response to four rockets fired Friday from Gaza that landed in southern Israel.

Hamas, for its part, warned Israel of the consequences of its recent “escalations” against the people of Gaza.

In a statement, the group said Israel bore responsibility for the death of the child in Beit Lahia and for what it described as the Jewish state’s ongoing “war crimes” against the Palestinians.

In July and August of 2014, Israel waged a weeks-long military offensive against the Gaza Strip with the ostensible aim of staunching rocket fire from the coastal enclave.

Over 2,160 Palestinians in Gaza, mostly civilians, were killed – and some 11,000 injured – during the 51-day onslaught.(T/P008/R07)

Mi’raj Islamic News Agency (MINA)