Israeli soldiers fired, on Wednesday at dawn, several artillery shells, and live rounds,  into an area, east of Rafah, in the southern part of the Gaza Strip, killing a Palestinian child, and wounding two others.

Dr. Ashraf al-Qedra, the spokesperson of the Health Ministry in Gaza, said the slain teen has been identified as Yousef Sha’ban Abu ‘Athra, 16.

He added that two other Palestinians were injured in several parts of their bodies, and were moved to Abu Yousef Najjar Hospital, in Rafah. Their wounds were described as moderate-to-severe.

The slain Palestinian, and the wounded, were in the an-Nahda neighborhood in Rafah, when the Israeli army fired artillery shells at it.

The Israeli army claimed it opened fire “on Palestinians heading towards the border fence, arousing suspicion, killing one.”

Israeli drones were also seen and heard flying over several areas on the besieged and impoverished coastal region, amidst sounds of explosions.

Israeli tanks and armored vehicles later invaded Palestinian lands, in border areas in Rafah, while firing many live rounds at random.