Violence Resumes in Gaza After Short Informal Lull
Israel and Hamas are trading accusations today; the informal cease-fire collapsed when explosions hit a Palestinian refugee camp playground and an area near Gaza City’s main hospital. Both sides are blaming the other for the blasts; Israel says they were caused by misfired Hamas rockets, while Hamas blames Israeli shelling.
The official Palestinian news agency WAFA reported that at least 10 children were killed as they played in a park in the Shati refugee camp on the western edge of Gaza City. The Palestinian agency attributed the explosions to Israeli missiles.
But Lt. Col. Peter Lerner, a spokesman for the Israeli military, denied that Israel had carried out any attacks at Shati or near the main Gaza City hospital, Shifa, saying those blasts “have absolutely nothing to do with us.” He suggested that the explosions had been caused by militant rockets aimed at Israel that had gone astray.
The missile or rocket explosion near Shifa hit an outside wall of the compound and caused damage but no casualties. Plainclothes security officers barred reporters from entering the compound to get close to where the rocket or missile fell.