’Israel’ Massacres Four Young Boys Playing Soccer on Gaza Beach!

Local Editor

"Israeli" shelling martyred four young Palestinian boys on a Gaza beach in the occupied territories, bringing the martyr toll number by the Zionist aggression to 227 on Wednesday.

                                              

In one of the worst incidents of the "Israeli" aggression on seized Gaza, an "Israeli" gunboat  fired shelling and martyred four boys who were playing soccer off seized Gaza's Mediterranean coast from one family and critically wounding another youngster, witnesses and Ashraf al-Qidra of the Gaza Health Ministry said.

Their names are Ismail Mahmoud Bakir, 9, Ahed Atef Bakir, 10, Zakariya Ahed Bakir, 10, and Mohammad Ramiz Bakir, 11. The four kids from the Bakir family were playing soccer on a Gaza beach.

Meanwhile, the "Israeli" military claimed the civilian casualties of the 4 young boys were
"unintended," saying that, "Based on preliminary results, the target of this strike was Hamas "terrorist" operatives."

Ahmed Abu Hassera, who witnessed the incident at the shore, told Reuters: "The kids were playing on the beach. They were all ... under the age of 15."

"When the first shell hit land, they ran away but another shell hit them all," said Abu Hassera, whose shirt was stained with blood. "It looked as if the shells were chasing them."

Earlier, Hamas's Abu Zuhri told reporters in seized Gaza: "These crimes will not succeed to break our will. We will continue the confrontation and resistance and we promise ["Israel"] will pay the price for all these crimes."

Six other Palestinians including four members of one family, among them a 70-year-old woman and two children aged 4 and 6, were martyred in two "Israeli" air strikes in the southern seized Gaza city of Khan Younis, medics said.

"Israeli" attacks have martyred 216 Palestinians, including six in two air strikes on Wednesday. Most of the casualties were civilians, health officials in seized Gaza said.

Furthermore, 259 houses had been demolished by "Israeli" air strikes and 1,034 damaged, along with 34 mosques and four hospitals, Gaza's Al-Mezan Center for Human rights said.

Most of the Palestinians killed in the worst flare-up of aggression by "Israel" in two years have been civilians, Gaza health officials say.

Moreover, the United Nations' emergency relief coordinator, Valerie Amos, said in a statement that in addition to the casualties, public services in seized Gaza had been suspended and its water supply was at risk.

Source: News Agencies, Edited by website team