At least two people killed, scores injured, in Israeli raids on Gaza - Al-Arabiya

Monday, 22 October 2012

By Al Arabiya with Agencies

At least two Palestinians were killed on Monday and several others wounded after an Israeli air raid hit the Gaza strip town of Beit Hanun.

The Israeli air raid was the second on northern Gaza during the morning.

The strike came after Israeli forces confirmed a mortar shelling by Gaza gunmen, allegedly belonging to Hamas, at "a routine [army] patrol in the area," officials said in a statement.

The raid was targeting a "rocket launching squad" in Gaza, the statement added. The strike was directed against a Hamas training camp and other targets, according to Reuters.

Hamas claimed that one of the killed gunmen belongs to its own and that two of its fighters were also wounded. The other casualty was not immediately identified, according to Reuters.

Israeli forces warned that they will "operate against anyone who uses terror against the State of Israel," blaming the security threats on Hamas.

More than 50 rockets have been fired from Gaza into Israel this month, an Israeli army spokeswoman said on condition of anonymity. Meanwhile, eight Palestinians have been killed in Gaza by Israeli fire in the month.