Israeli airstrike wounds at least 13 in Gaza

Violence escalated between the northern Gaza border and southern Israel after a series of Israeli airstrikes killed at least three Palestinians on Friday.

The fighting erupted on Thursday after an Israeli air strike targeting a car carrying two alleged militants in a crowded Gaza Street resulted in their death.
Israel claims the two men were planning to attack its civilians and soldiers.

In response, Palestinian gunmen fired back several rockets into southern Israel, close to the city of Beersheba; no injuries were reported.

Palestinian medics said a second Israeli air strike hit a Hamas training camp in Gaza City early on Friday, sending shrapnel flying into nearby houses, killing one civilian and wounding 13 others, mostly women and children.

Residents in Gaza say the damage caused by the Israeli air strike was severe.
"We were sleeping at night and suddenly the rockets were fired towards us. The whole house collapsed over us and over the little children. This is what happened and here we are thanks to God," said a wounded woman at a hospital.

Another mother with her wounded child said she believes the bombing targeted a military post near her house, and voiced hope for calm: "They bombed it and it was really strong. God will make it better. God willing it will stop and the bombing will cease," Ruwaida Abu Hamda said.

A Hamas spokesman called the initial air strikes “a crime” and blamed Israel for starting violence in the area.

However, Israel’s army released a statement saying one of the alleged militants killed had been involved in planning a suicide attack in the southern Israeli resort of Eilat in 2007 in which three Israeli civilians were killed.