Israeli aircraft fired a missile at a car in the crowded Jebaliya refugee camp in northern Gaza on Tuesday, missing targeted Palestinian militants but killing a teenager, two children and wounding nine people, clouding efforts to restart peace talks.
The Israeli military said the car was carrying militants from the al-Aqsa martyrs’ Brigades, affiliated with President Mahmoud Abbas’ Fatah movement. Witnesses said the men in the car jumped out before the missile hit.
The dead children were a five year old boy, Mohammed Roka, and his seven-year-old sister, Needa, said Dr. Jumma Fatah of Shifa Hospital in Gaza City. A 16-year-old girl died later of her wounds, hospital officials said.
The car exploded on a narrow street in the crowded refugee camp. The front of the car was badly damaged, but the back was intact.
Hundreds of angry Palestinians gathered around the vehicle, shouting slogans. Khalil Roka, a cousin of the dead boy, said he was sitting in front of his car repair shop while the children played in front of the house nearby. He said he saw a red flash a the car exploded, and the children were hit, but he didn’t see the boy who was killed. ”I was carrying my other cousins to the ambulance,” he said.
Israel’s Channel 2 TV said the raid was ”another failed assassination attempt, and again innocent civilians were hit”.
The army said it regretted any civilian casualties caused by the airstrike.
Army spokesperson Captain Jacob Dallal said the militants in the car were involved in firing rockets at Israel and blamed the Palestinian government for allowing the attacks.
”When we see people who are actively involved in firing, they are completely legitimate military target,” he said, ”and we will continue to take every precaution to keep civilians out of harm’s way.”
An air strike last week killed eight civilians, in addition to the two militants it targeted. Earlier this month, eight beach-goers were killed in an explosion that Palestinians blamed on Israeli artillery fire. Israel has denied involvement in the blast.
About 100 000 Palestinians live in the Jebaliya camp, just north of Gaza City. Jebaliya is the largest refugee camp in Gaza. Most of its streets are unpaved, and housing is made up of small, concrete-block buildings. The poverty-stricken camp is a main breeding ground of militants.
The botched airstrike came as Israeli and Palestinian officials were assessing the prospects of a possible meeting in Jordan this week between Abbas and Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert. It would be the first since the Islamic militant Hamas formed a Palestinian government in March and Olmert replaced Ariel Sharon as Israel’s Prime Minister.
Israeli, Palestinian and Jordanian officials confirmed the two leaders are scheduled to attend a breakfast with other dignitaries at a conference of Nobel laureates Thursday, hosted by Jordan’s King Abdullah II in the ancient town of Petra.
Abbas is in a weakened position since his Fatah was ejected from power in January parliamentary elections and replaced by Hamas.
Abbas, a moderate, favours peace talks with Israel, though even with Abbas at the helm, the two sides are far apart on basic issues.
Though Olmert has said he is prepared to meet Abbas, he has said he would not deal with a ”two-headed” Palestinian entity. Israel, along with the US and European Union, label Hamas a terror group and refuse contact with it. Hamas does not recognise Israel.
Addressing a conference of Zionist leaders in Jerusalem on Tuesday evening, Olmert aimed a barb at Abbas, saying the Palestinian leadership has failed to stop attacks and dismantle violent groups, a requirement for peace talks, and ”to my regret, there is no room for optimism on that issue in the near future”.
Both Israeli and Palestinian officials said there were no plans for an official summit-like meeting. ”This is not the forum where they’re going to discuss the major issues,” said Raanan Gissin, an Israeli government spokesperson.
A Jordanian official said ”no bilateral meeting” was planned.
But bringing both leaders together was clearly a Jordanian attempt to build trust between them. The official requested anonymity because of the sensitivity of the preparations. – Sapa-AP