On April 28, 2008, an Israel Defense Forces (IDF) attack took place in close proximity to a

Palestinian Palestinians ( ar, الفلسطينيون, ; he, פָלַסְטִינִים, ) or Palestinian people ( ar, الشعب الفلسطيني, label=none, ), also referred to as Palestinian Arabs ( ar, الفلسطينيين العرب, label=non ...

family in

Beit Hanoun Beit Hanoun or Beit Hanun ( ar, بيت حانون) is a city on the northeast edge of the Gaza Strip. According to the Palestinian Central Bureau of Statistics, the town had a population of 32,187 in mid-2006. It is administered by the Hamas admi ...

. The IDF claimed that Palestinian gunmen they had targeted, were most probably carrying explosives which caused the civilian deaths immediately after its assault while Palestinian residents in Beit Hanoun claimed the explosion was a result of Israeli tank fire. Five members of the Abu Maateq family (mother and four children) were killed and a militant and farmer were also killed. Family killed during raid in Gaza
''

BBC News BBC News is an operational business division of the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) responsible for the gathering and broadcasting of news and current affairs in the UK and around the world. The department is the world's largest broad ...

''. BBC MMVIII April 28, 2008.

The Incident

Early on April 28,

Israel Israel (; he, יִשְׂרָאֵל, ; ar, إِسْرَائِيل, ), officially the State of Israel ( he, מְדִינַת יִשְׂרָאֵל, label=none, translit=Medīnat Yīsrāʾēl; ), is a country in Western Asia. It is situated ...

i ground forces entered Beit Hanoun, a town near the border of the

Gaza Strip The Gaza Strip (;The New Oxford Dictionary of English (1998) – p.761 "Gaza Strip /'gɑːzə/ a strip of territory under the control of the Palestinian National Authority and Hamas, on the SE Mediterranean coast including the town of Gaza.. ...

to clamp down on militants in the area. During the offensive, a shell from a tank landed through the ceiling of a home, immediately killing the five family members eating breakfast. The child victims were aged one to six. An Israeli military spokesman said the purpose of the operation was to eliminate all snipers, tunnel diggers and

Qassam rocket The Qassam rocket ( ar, صاروخ القسام ''Ṣārūkh al-Qassām''; also ''Kassam'') is a simple, steel artillery rocket developed and deployed by the Izz ad-Din al-Qassam Brigades, the military arm of Hamas. These rockets cannot be fired ...

crews in the area. In response to the Israeli incursion, Palestinian militants fired on Israeli troops, slightly wounding one of them. Israeli fighter jets fired on militant positions, causing a massive explosion, apparently from bombs being held by the militants. The IDF claimed the resulting explosion was responsible for the destruction of the nearby house. Palestinian doctors and residents of Beit Hanoun claim Israeli tank fire was the cause of the explosion, however Israel says it was the explosives that the militants were carrying. In a separate incident in Beit Hanoun, an Islamic Jihad gunmen and a farmer were killed.

Palestinian reaction

Palestinian president Mahmoud Abbas said the incident "does not serve efforts being exerted to achieve calm, and it obstructs the peace process". The husband and father of the family, Ahmad Abu Maataq said,

I left the house just moments before to look for one of my children. I heard the sound of the explosion, and when I returned to the house I found my wife and my children... I hope to God that the same thing that happened to me happens to whoever fired that missile at my house, that what happened to my wife and children happens to his family

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:2008, 4, Beit Hanoun, incident

Israeli attacks against the Gaza Strip