[Haaretz Defense] A 17- year-old girl was killed in a blast in central Gaza near the Israeli border Thursday, Hamas security officials said, charging that an Israeli tank shell was to blame. The Israel Defense Forces said soldiers came under Palestinian fire across the border in central Gaza and returned fire, but they did not use tank shells. "The Zionists are responding to our mortar fire, Your Immensity!"
"Bring forth the women and children!"
"Yes, Your Enormity! Head 'em up and move 'em out, Mahmoud!"
IDF sources said that Palestinian militants had been firing mortar shells when the blast occurred, and they believed that it was Palestinian mortar fire that resulted in the casualties.
There was a later report that said it was their counterbattery fire...
Palestinian Health Ministry official Dr. Moaiya Hassanain said the fatality was a 17-year-old girl, and one of the wounded was a 3-year-old girl. Earlier, Hassanain said the little girl had been killed.
The Palestinian news agency Ma'an named the dead girl as Hiyam al-Ayish, adding that her 24-year-old brother had also been wounded. Al-Aqsa hospital sources said that more people had been wounded. Other Palestinians raised doubts about the report that an Israel tank shell was responsible for the blast, noting that reporters were uncharacteristically banned from the area and the family refused to talk to them.
There have been sporadic border clashes between Israeli forces and Palestinian militants since Israel ended a devastating three-week offensive in Gaza in January, aimed at stopping Palestinian rocket attacks on southern Israel.