February 27, 2008

Palestinian medical sources reported that two Palestinian farmers were killed, on Wednesday afternoon, during Israeli shelling of farm land near Gaza city in the northern part of the coastal region.

Dr, Mo'awiah Abu Hassanin of the Palestinian ministry of health in Gaza told reporters that, two farmers were killed and another two injured when Israeli tanks stationed at the borders near Gaza city shelled nearby farms . Abu Hassanin identified one of the killed as Monawar Abu Mandeel, 27.

Also on Wednesday afternoon, Israeli media sources reported that 17 Palestinian home made shells fired from Gaza landed in the nearby southern Israeli town of Sderot, killing one Israeli man, and injuring three others. The death toll in Gaza reach seven today with the two Palestinian farmers killed in the afternoon. On tuesday on evening a Palestinian farmer, Hasan Abu Sabt from Khan Younis from the southern Gaza Strip was also killed by Israeli fire. Palestinians have farmland and homes adjacent to the border there.

Five resistance fighters, members of the Al-Qassam Brigades, the armed wing of Hamas, were killed, and three others wounded in Israeli air strike in the early morning.

Eyewitnesses saw, a civilian car driving along an agricultural road in Khan Younis city. Two missiles were shot from an Israeli Apache helicopter directly at the vehicle. It is believed that those inside the car were killed instantly.

The Al-Qassam brigades, identified the victims as their own, and stated that the attack was an Israeli targeted assassination. The brigades said those killed were "field members" of the group.

Late on Tuesday night, an Islamic Jihad fighter was reportedly killed in Israeli fire near the Gaza-Israel border in the Al-Bureij refugee camp in the central Gaza Strip.

Medics identified the deceased as Zaki Abu Zaid, and said that another man was also injured in the attack. The Al Quds Brigades, the armed wing of the Islamic Jihad movement, confirmed that Abu Zaid was their member.