An anti-tank missile aimed at an IDF jeep near the Gaza Strip sparked violent retaliation which left four Palestinians dead, while over 36 were injured. According to the Israeli Defense Minister, four IDF soldiers were injured in the attack.
Gaza medical officials said all four Palestinians killed were civilians between the ages of 16 and 18, and that children were among the wounded. The numbers differ, with the Associated Press reporting 25 people injured, while Haaretz put the number at at least 36.
Palestinian witnesses said that Gaza militants fired a rocket at an Israeli jeep on the edge of the border, east of Gaza City, prompting Israeli occupation forces to respond with artillery fire. Four soldiers were injured, one very seriously. He was airlifted to a hospital in the town of Be’er Sheva.
The Israel Air Force fired on a neighborhood in the east of Gaza City, according to local residents, who also reported that IDF aircraft were circling the skies over Gaza.
Commenting on the violence, Defense Minister Ehud Barak said: "The IDF responded harshly to the incident and further actions will be considered in the coming days. We will not tolerate deterioration on the border fence.”
The Israeli military said it holds Gaza's Hamas leadership responsible for the attack. Hamas spokesman Fawzi Barhoum in turn slammed Israel for killing civilians.
"Targeting civilians is a dangerous escalation that cannot be tolerated. The resistance has the full right to respond to the Israeli crimes," he said.
According to some reports, the military wing of the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine, the Abu Ali Mustapha Brigades, has claimed responsibility for attacking the IDF truck.
In the past, incidents like these, especially with civilian casualties, have led to days of Palestinian rocket attacks and retaliatory Israeli strikes.
In the past, incidents like these, especially with civilian casualties, have led to days of Palestinian rocket attacks and retaliatory Israeli strikes.
A wounded Palestinian is wheeled on a stretcher at a hospital in Gaza City following Israeli shelling November 10, 2012 (Reuters / Mohammed Salem)
Palestinians carry a wounded man into a hospital in Gaza City following Israeli shelling November 10, 2012 (Reuters / Mohammed Salem)
A Palestinian man lies on the floor at al-Shifa hospital in Gaza City after being wounded in Israeli shelling as clashes erupted along the border on November 10, 2012. (AFP Photo/Mohammed Abed)
A Palestinian man lies on a stretcher and receives treatment at al-Shifa hospital in Gaza City after being wounded in Israeli shelling as clashes erupted along the border on November 10, 2012. (AFP Photo/Mohammed Abed)
A Palestinian man reacts as he lies on a stretcher at al-Shifa hospital in Gaza City after being wounded in Israeli shelling as clashes erupted along the border on November 10, 2012. (AFP Photo/Mohammed Abed)
A relative of a Palestinian man killed in Israeli shelling reacts at a hospital in Gaza City November 10, 2012. (Reuters/Mohammed Salem)
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