GAZA - Israeli tanks raided a coastal village in the Gaza Strip, firing several tank shells at a house and killing four Palestinians in the second raid in as many days.
The raids on the Sheikh Ijleen village south of Gaza City and Israel's cancellation of security talks with the Palestinians strained a fragile arrangement for reaching a truce.
Hospital officials confirmed that four people had been killed from the al-Hajeen family, including Ruwaida, 55, and her two sons, Ashraf, 23, and Nihad, 17. The fourth person killed was a cousin of the family, Mohammed, 20.
Security sources said the raid was an attempt to thwart an arms smuggling operation.
Israeli Defence Minister Binyamin Ben-Eliezer called off security talks with Palestinian Interior Minister Abdel-Razzak al-Yahya, citing a mortar attack on a Jewish settlement in Gaza.
- REUTERS
Feature: Middle East
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