Israel denies direct responsibility for incident in Gaza

Source: CCTV.com | 04-29-2008 14:00

Israel is denying direct responsibility for the death of a Palestinian woman and four of her children in Gaza. It says Hamas Islamist gunmen bear overall responsibility for casualties among non-combatants in the Gaza Strip -- since they are operating among civilians.

Israeli rocket fire struck a house in the northern Gaza town of Beit Hanoun while a family was eating breakfast on Monday, leaving six Palestinians dead. Among them, four children and their mother.

An Israeli army spokeswoman says Israel was NOT targeting the family's house. And that based on the size of the explosion -- the Palestinian family died solely as a result of the explosion that occurred from back packs -- that were full of explosives and other devices -- that these terrorists carried on their back.

Militants frequently fire rockets at Israel from the northern Gaza town of Beit Hanoun.

Medical officials and residents of the area say an Israeli projectile smashed through the ceiling of the one-story house -- where a family was having breakfast.

Separately, Israeli soldiers killed a Palestinian gunman from Islamic Jihad during fighting in Beit Hanoun.

Another Palestinian militant was shot dead later in the day.

Hamas's armed wing -- the Izz el-Deen al-Qassam brigades -- said it fired three rockets at the Israeli border town of Sderot, in response to the Beit Hanoun killings.

The deaths in Gaza cast another shadow over Egyptian efforts to forge a ceasefire between Israel and militant groups. And also to end the violence threatening US-brokered, Palestinian statehood talks.

Editor:Xiong Qu