Palestinians: 11-year-old girl killed in Gaza

national | miscellaneous | news report Thursday December 19, 2002 17:48 by Shane

By Arnon Regular, Ha'aretz Correspondent and Ha'aretz Service

Palestinian sources reported Thursday that an 11-year-old Palestinian girl was shot to death In the Gaza Strip town of Rafah during a gunfight between IDF troops and armed Palestinian militants. The Israeli army said it was checking the report.

Witnesses said soldiers stationed at the Tarmit military outpost on the border with Egypt opened machine-gun fire at a residential area, adding one of the gunshots hit the child in the chest.

Hospital officials identified the victim as Nadda Maddi.

Thousands of mourners buried the body of a 15-year-old youth from Rafah Thursday who was shot dead Wednesday afternoon, also by Israeli soldiers stationed on the border.

The latest fatality was the third child or youth to be killed this week by Israeli soldiers in the southern Gaza Strip towns of Rafah and Khan Younis.

In overnight raids throughout the West Bank, troops rounded up more than 20 Palestinians suspected of involvement in attacks on Israelis, the military said.