Mother and two children killed in IAF strike in Gaza

IDF advances to within 500 meters of Gaza City

Defense Minister Amir Peretz speaks with IDF Chief of Staff Dan Halutz at a military base near Kibbutz Zikim. (Reuters)

July 8, 2006

By Avi Issacharoff, Amos Harel, Aluf Benn, Mijal Grinberg and Yuval Azoulay, Haaretz Correspondents, Haaretz Service and Agencies


six-year-old Palestinian girl, her elder brother and her mother were killed Saturday evening during an Israel Air Forces air strike on a house east of Gaza City, medical sources said.

The aerial attack came in the neighborhood of Sajaiyeh, near the Karni border crossing on Gaza's eastern border with Israel.

The Israel Defense Forces confirmed an airstrike in the area, saying it was aiming for a group of armed gunmen.

The IDF expanded its operation in Gaza on Saturday morning, with tanks advancing to within 500 meters of Gaza City. Some 15 tanks entered the Strip through the Karni border crossing in what the army said was a search for tunnels used by militants. Read more...