Palestinian medical and security sources reported that two fighters
were killed and seven residents were injured by Israeli forces
in an invasion of Al Shujaeyya area, east of Gaza City, before dawn on Sunday.
The invasion was carried out under air coverage by Israeli military choppers. Soldiers advanced 200 meters into Al Shujaeyya after invading it from four locations and fired at civilian houses in the area.
Eyewitnesses reported that Waleed Al Harazeen, 24, member of the Al Qassam brigades the armed wing of Hamas, was killed after suffering rounds of live ammunition in his chest.
He was bleeding and died of his wounds later on after the ambulances were not able to reach him as a result of the continuous Israeli shelling to the area.
Later on, Palestinian medical sources reported that another fired identified as Mohammad Hallis, 21, was also killed by Israeli military fire.
Seven Palestinians, including two journalists, were injured in the Israeli attack. One reporter working as a cameraman for Dubai satellite Channel suffered moderate-to-sever wounds, and a Reuters Cameraman was moderately injured.
As the aerial assassination was being carried out, an armored jeep belonging to the Reuters News Agency drove up, and was fired at by the Israeli Airforce.
The two were identified as Sabbah Hameida, who works for Dubai Channel was seriously wounded in the legs, and Fadel Shan'a, a Reuters cameraman, was knocked unconscious. Doctors said his condition was not life threatening.
The armored car was clearly labeled as a media vehicle, with signs on all sides, including the roof. The Israeli army said the vehicle was hit because it was acting suspiciously in an area of combat and had not been identified as belonging to the media.
Hamas fighter killed; two journalists injured in Israeli air strikes in eastern Gaza
IMEMC & Agencies; 04:33
A member of the Qassam Brigades, the armed wing of the Hamas movement,
was killed, and five civilians, including two journalists, were injured
late Saturday night by Israeli missile strikes, Palestinian medical
sources reported. Eyewitnesses reported that the Israeli air force
fired several missiles in Al-Shujaiyah neighborhood, east of Gaza City.
The target of the aerial assassination was identified as Walid al-Harazeen, 25. He was killed in the strike. Such extrajudicial assassinations are carried out on an almost-daily basis by Israeli forces, despite the fact that they have been deemed illegal according to international law, and are widely condemned by Israeli and international human rights organizations.
As the aerial assassination was being carried out, an armored jeep belonging to the Reuters News Agency drove up, and was fired at by the Israeli Airforce, seriously injuring one journalist and moderately wounding another. Sabbah Hameida, who works for a local news Web site, was seriously wounded in the legs. Fadel Shan'a, a Reuters cameraman, was knocked unconscious. Doctors said his condition was not life threatening.
The armored car was clearly labeled as a media vehicle, with signs on all sides, including the roof. The Israeli army said the vehicle was hit because it was acting suspiciously in an area of combat and had not been identified as belonging to the media.
"During the operation, there was an aerial attack on a suspicious vehicle that drove in a suspicious manner right by the forces," army spokeswoman Captain Noa Meir said.
"This car was not identified by the army as a press vehicle," she said. "If journalists were hurt, we regret it."
Michael Lawrence, Reuters Managing Editor for Europe, Middle East and Africa, said: "We are deeply concerned at this attack on a clearly marked press vehicle as journalists were doing their job to report the story from Gaza.
"We understand that the army says it had no intention of targeting the media, but this incident is totally unacceptable and we urge a careful examination of how this happened to ensure there is no repeat."
