Israeli occupation troops fired from tanks and helicopters toward a Palestinian residential area in the northern Gaza Strip Tuesday evening, killing three Palestinian civilians and wounding 30, doctors said. This latest Israeli attack came hours after the failed assassination attempt on Hamas' no. 2, Dr. Abdel Aziz al Rantissi.
According to the Israeli army, the car targeted in the attack was transporting Palestinian "activists", who had fired home-made Qassam rockets on the Israeli town of Sderot.
The Israeli army added said that after the failed assassination attempt earlier Tuesday, helicopters were patrolling the skies over Gaza Strip in advance of an expected Qassam rocket attack. The army said that the helicopter pilots spotted the vehicle transporting those who had fired the rockets, and attacked it.
Palestinians fired six Qassam rockets on Sderot. Five Israelis were treated for shock.
Palestinian sources, however, conveyed those killed were civilians and not involved in the fighting against Israel. The three were identified as members of the Abed Rabbo family, two 19-year-old men and a 16-year-old girl. They lived in an area between the town of Beit Hanoun and the Jabaliya refugee camp in northern Gaza Strip.
The three victims were killed when the first missile missed its target and hit a building, the Palestinian sources said. The second missile destroyed a vehicle, causing only injuries, the sources added. (Albawaba.com)
© 2003 Al Bawaba (www.albawaba.com)
