15 Palestinians killed, dozens wounded in Israeli offensives on northern Gaza

At least 15 Palestinians were killed and dozens of others wounded on Friday afternoon in fresh Israeli army air and sea military offensives on northern Gaza Strip, paramedics, witnesses and security sources said.

Israeli naval boats gunship fired three shells at the beach of the town of Beit Lahia in northern Gaza Strip, killing at least 12 Palestinians and wounding fifty others, many of them are in serious conditions.

Eyewitnesses said that they saw the bodies of the dead people on the sands of Beit Lahia beach, adding that dozens of people were wounded while children were crying and screaming.

The witnesses said that seven people of the 12 killed are from the same family, including the mother and an 18-month-old baby boy.

Dozens of ambulances arrived at the beach and carried the bodies of the dead and the other wounded to northern Gaza Strip hospitals, most of them are men and children, they said.

Meanwhile, Israeli reconnaissance drones carried out three different airstrikes at two cars and at a group of militants, killing three Palestinians and wounding five others, Palestinian security sources and witnesses reported.

The sources said that an Israeli drone had first fired one rocket at a group of militant, members of the Popular Resistance Committees (PRC) and critically wounded two militants.

The rest of the militants escaped in a car that drove in northern Gaza Strip, but the drone kept following the car and attacked it by two rockets, killing at least three militants, added the sources.

A third fresh airstrike carried out also by an Israeli drone against a Palestinian car that also drove in northern Gaza Strip, where initial reports said that two militants at least were injured in the airstrike.

Palestinian security sources said militants from the ruling Islamic Resistance Movement (Hamas) were in the car that was targeted by the Israeli drones. One of the injured two Hamas militants is in critical conditions.

Source: Xinhua