"Israel" opens fire in Gaza despite announcing temporary cessation of combat

Source: AFP/nowlebanon.com, 09-01-2009

"Israeli" tanks opened fire in several locations in the Gaza Strip on Friday despite an announced three-hour "humanitarian" lull, witnesses said.

Tanks shelled targets in Jabaliya and Beit Lahiya in the north and in the Zeitun neighborhood of Gaza City, the witnesses told the AFP.

In Jabaliya, a gas station caught fire after a tank shell hit a lumber yard next door, sparking a fire that spewed thick columns of black smoke into the sky.

Earlier, an "Israeli" army spokesman had said that the military would suspend bombings in Gaza between 1100 GMT and 1400 GMT for a third consecutive day to allow Palestinians to stock up on food.