11 wounded in Gaza Strip

11 wounded in Gaza Strip

2011-02-23 22:39:08 GMT+7 (ICT)

GAZA CITY (BNO NEWS) -- Eleven people were injured, including three members of an armed group and three children, after Israeli troops fired artillery shells into the eastern Gaza Strip on Wednesday, Ma’an News Agency reported.

The Al-Quds Brigades, the armed wing of Islamic Jihad, claimed two mortar shells were shot at an Israeli force entering the Gaza Strip. Four Israeli bulldozers and four tanks were apparently preparing to tear-up agricultural lands along the occupied border zone.

The spokesman for Gaza's emergency services, Adham Abu Salmiya, confirmed that 11 were taken to hospital, including three members of the Al-Quds Brigades and three children, according to the news agency.

No Israeli soldiers were hurt.

An Israeli military statement confirmed that its soldiers opened fire after an "explosive device was detonated at an IDF force that was performing a routine activity near the security fence in the Northern Gaza Strip," and mortar shells were fired into Israeli territory.

Another Palestinian, who was collecting material for concrete in the northern Gaza Strip, was shot in the leg by Israeli forces Wednesday afternoon.

More than 50 Palestinians, including 12 civilians, were killed by Israeli troops near the border in 2010, according to the UN.

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