crushed as gaza

A Palestinian boy crushed by an Israeli army bulldozer

Thursday September 20, 2007 11:55 by Ghassan Bannoura & Rami Al Mughari - IMEMC & Agencies news at imemc dot org

Palestinian medical sources reported on Thursday midday that one Palestinian boy was crushed and killed by an Israeli military bulldozer near Al-Buraij refugee camp in central Gaza strip.

a number of local young men aiding the crushed boy in aL-Buraij refugee camp Thursday (Photo: Iyad Albaba - IMEMC News)

Dr. Moaiwyah Hassanain, the director of the emergency department at Health Ministry in Gaza identified the boy as Mahmoud Qasassy, 17. Eyewitnesses reported seeing the boy run over by the bulldozer and crushed to death as he stood near some trees. Witnesses added that another civilian was injured and lay in the fields where medics and ambulances were unable to reach him.

The Israeli army shot and wounded at least two Palestinian residents in the al-Buraij refugee camp. Medical sources said that they were shot by Israeli warplanes which had earlier supported the army's invasion of the area. Witnesses said that a column of Israeli tanks, supported by warplanes, invaded the eastern part of the refugee camp on Thursday night, firing heavily on homes in the area.



Meanwhile, an Israeli special-unit force infiltrated Shuka village, to the east of Rafah city, kidnapping at least 20 residents. Today's events come one day after the Israeli government declared the Gaza Strip 'an enemy entity', and announced that it is considering cutting power and fuel supplies to the region.

At midday on Thursday, Palestinian resistance fighters of the Qassam brigades, the armed wing of Hamas, said that they fired 11 home-made mortar shells at the invading troops. The Israeli army has not made any reports of injuries to its soldiers.