Palestinian medical sources reported Wednesday afternoon that two Palestinians were killed and seven others, including children, were wounded on Wednesday evening after the army bombarded Beit Hanoun, in the northern part of the Gaza Strip.One of the slain residents died instantly, while the other died of his wounds later on; three of the wounded residents are in serious conditions.
Dr. Moawiya Hassanen, head of the Emergency Department at the Palestinian Ministry of Health in Gaza, stated that resident Mohammad al-Kafarna, 23, died instantly while Qasem al-Shinbary, 19, died of his wounds at the intensive care unit several hours after he was injured.
Dr. Hassanen added that four of the wounded residents are children and that the Israeli army carried out an aerial strike and also fired artillery and tank shells.
Medical sources at Beit Hanoun Hospital stated that the wounded residents had nails in their bodies as the shells contained nails and other materials.
Meanwhile, the Islamic Jihad Movement reported that al-Kafarna, 22, is one of its leaders and a member of its committee in Beit Hanoun.
The movement issued a press release vowing retaliation, and stating that its fighters will continue their activities against the occupation until liberation.
The Israeli army issued a statement claiming that the shelling targeted a group of fighters who approached the security fence between Gaza and Israel, and that the army did not target civilians.
In related news, the National Resistance Brigades, the armed wing of the Democratic Front for the Liberation of Palestine (DFLP) claimed responsibility for wounding a soldier while the army was invading Beit Hanoun.
The Brigades said that one of its sharpshooters managed to shoot a soldier on Wednesday afternoon.
