Palestinian girl shot dead in Gaza strip

2.15pm

GAZA - A 12-year-old Palestinian girl was shot dead in the southern Gaza Strip on Saturday, Palestinian medics said. They said Iman Tulba was killed when Israeli soldiers at the Ganei Tal Jewish settlement opened fire at a nearby three-storey building in Khan Younis. The Israeli army said it was checking the report.

Tulba's cousin, Alaa, said he saw a bullet fly through the family's kitchen window, ricochet off a wall and hit her. He added there were no clashes in the area at the time.

"Iman had returned from school and was going to the kitchen to ask her mother about lunch," he said. "While she was getting a plate, a bullet suddenly came through the window and she was shot in her head, with her blood spilling on the floor."

Military sources said there were three incidents of troops opening fire in the Khan Younis area on Saturday. In two cases, soldiers had "returned accurate fire" at gunmen who launched rockets at adjacent settlements.

In another incident, soldiers fired warning shots near an army post to clear the area before checking it for explosives, the sources said.

The area between Khan Younis and the adjoining Gush Katif bloc of settlements has been a frequent flashpoint for violence.

- REUTERS