Boy, 4, killed by Israeli tank fire in Gaza

Israeli tank fire killed a four-year old boy in the northern Gaza Strip on Monday, the first death since the two sides began observing an unofficial lull, Palestinian medics said.

According to emergency services spokesman Ashraf al-Qudra, the child was killed when a shell hit a house to the east of Jabaliya where clashes had recently erupted between Israeli troops and Hamas militants.

The boy, Samih Ijneid, was the first person to be killed in Gaza on Monday although three others also succumbed to their injuries during the night, Qudra said.

The latest deaths raise to 1,036 the total number of Palestinians killed in Israel’s military campaign in Gaza to destroy rockets and cross-border tunnels which began on July 8.