The Al Quds Brigades, the armed wing of the Islamic Jihad, reported that the Wednesday evening Israeli shelling which targeted a workshop in Rafah, in the southern part of the Gaza Strip, killed one of its prominent leaders; five Palestinians including two children were wounded, at least two seriously. The Brigades stated that the Israeli air force fired a missile at a blacksmith workshop in Rafah killing the fighter and wounding five others. The workshop was completely destroyed and damage to several surrounding houses was reported.
Medical sources in Rafah reported that residents Karam Hammad, 23, and Osama Al Hooby, 25, suffered serious injuries.
The sources added that two children, identified as Ahmad Salah, 10, and his brother Amjad Salah, 11, suffered moderate wounds. All of the wounded residents were moved to Abu Yousef Al Najjar Hospital in Rafah.
The Israeli army claimed that the shelling targeted a workshop used for manufacturing homemade shells and combat equipment.
Meanwhile, the Al Quds Brigades vowed retaliation and said that “this is the price that Palestinians are paying for the Cairo truce agreement”.
“This shelling comes only hours after the Palestinian factions presented a ceasefire deal with Israel”, the Brigades said.
The Brigades identified its member who was killed in the attack as Awad Al Qeeq, 35. He survived three previous assassination attempts.
An Israeli air strike on southern Gaza kills a Palestinian fighter
Rami Almeghari, IMEMC & Agencies Wed, 30 Apr 2008 20:31:12
An Israeli air strike on southern Gaza Strip claimed on Wednesday the life of a Palestinian fighter and wounded three others.
Medical sources reported that Awad Alqiq, said to be a member of the Saraya Al-Quds brigades, the armed wing of the Islamic Jihad, was killed and three others wounded, after sustaining shrapnel of a missile.
Witnesses in the Rafah city of southern Gaza Strip said that an Israeli air strike hit a metal workshop. Witnesses added that an Israeli warplane fired at least one missile towards a metal workshop in the Alz'arba neighborhood of Rafah city, completely destroying the workshop.
Spokeaman of the Israeli army announced that the Israeli air forces targeted a weapons store, owned by the ruling Hamas party in the southern Gaza Strip city of Rafah.
The said air strike come few hours after the Palestinian resistance factions in the Gaza Strip agreed today in Cairo to an Egyptian-brokered Hamas offer for ceasefire with Israel. Israel had already rejected the initiative, branding it a Hamas' maneuver to rearm and reorganize.
