Four Palestinians killed in Israeli operation against Gaza

Four Palestinians were killed Thursday morning during an Israeli operation in northern Gaza Strip dubbed "Autumn Clouds", Palestinian security and medical sources reported.

The new deaths bring to 11 the number of Palestinians killed in the operation which started on Wednesday morning, Palestinian medics confirmed.

Israeli snipers shot dead four people early Thursday, including an old man, in three separate incidents in northern Gaza Strip border towns of Beit Hanoun and Biet Laheya, hospital sources said.

Three of those killed were civilians who were gunned down in their houses, security sources said, adding that the fourth was apparently a militant.

A dead body of a civilian remained in his house because ambulances were unable to reach the scene in Biet Laheya due to a curfew imposed by the Israeli army, local residents said.

Meanwhile, seven people from a family were wounded after a tank shell hit their house in Beit Hanoun, paramedics said.

More than 75 people were wounded in the still ongoing operation.

On Wednesday, the Israeli troops killed seven Palestinians, including five militants, as they entered Beit Hanoun.

Israel says the operations aim at stopping homemade rocket attacks by Palestinian militants against southern Israel cities.

Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas and Prime Minister Ismail Haneya condemned the operations while Abbas termed them as " ignoble."

Source: Xinhua