Palestinian, 10, Slain by Israelis After Bomb Blast
Israeli troops shot and killed a 10-year-old Palestinian boy after a firebomb exploded near an army patrol in the occupied Gaza Strip, a military spokesman said Thursday.
Rami Khalil abu Samra of Gaza City was one of the youngest children killed in the nine-month-old Palestinian uprising.
Military sources said his body was found at the entrance to the Salah al Din Mosque, from which the firebomb was thrown at an army vehicle Wednesday night.
Palestinian eyewitnesses said the boy was not involved in the attack and accused soldiers of chasing him into the mosque and firing at him from close range. The army spokesman denied the allegation.
Military spokesman Moshe Fogel said the army is checking what happened from the time the firebomb exploded near the passing patrol in Gaza City.
“The youth was apparently killed by one of the bullets while he was in the entrance to the mosque. He was shot at a distance by soldiers who fired in the direction from which the Molotov cocktail was thrown,” he said.
Military sources said another firebomb was found inside the mosque, a frequent flash point during the uprising.
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