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One day after the Israel Defense Forces declared that it had completed Operation Autumn Clouds in the northern Gaza Strip town of Beit Hanoun, 18 people were killed and at least 30 were injured as a large number of shells was fired at the town.
According to the Palestinians, some of the shells hit houses, killing 13 members of one family. Seven children and four women were among those killed.
IDF officials said in response that the artillery fire was directed at a Qassam launching spot and another nearby spot from where Palestinians planned to launch Qassam rockets.
Shortly before the Gaza incident, Palestinian medical sources reported that five Palestinians , including five gunmen and two civilians, were killed in an IDF operation in the village of Yamoun, near Jenin. The three are members of the al-Aqsa Brigades, Fatah's military wing.
Shortly after the shells landed in Beit Hanoun, five Qassam rockets were fired from the southern Gaza Strip. One of the rockets landed in the center of the southern town of Sderot. A woman was lightly injured and several people were treated for shock.. The other four rockets landed in open areas.
Beit Hanoun following shelling (Video: Reuters)
The series of incidents began at 6 a.m., when sources in the Strip reported that dozens of tank shells and missiles landed simultaneously in a small and limited area in Beit Hanoun. Ambulances found it difficult to evacuate the wounded.
Palestinian sources in Gaza reported that some of those killed were hurt after shells hit a group of civilians who arrived to aid those hurt in the first barrage. Residents in the area were called to donate blood for fear that the number of casualties would be higher.
Beit Hanoun, Wednesday morning (Photo: AP)
Eyewitnesses reported that at least seven houses were hit in the strike, and most of the casualties were killed while still in bed.
Atef Khamed, a 22-year-old resident, told Reuters: "This is the most difficult event I have ever witnessed. We saw scattered body parts, heads, leg and amputated hands on the street."
Reuters also reported that the town's streets were filled with cries of children and cries for help. One of the residents looked for his son, calling out: "Where is my child?" His neighbors were not strong enough to tell him that his son was no longer alive.
Shortly after the Beit Hanoun incident, Palestinian sources in the Gaza Strip reported that six Palestinian gunmen were injured, one of them sustaining critical wounds, by an IDF shell fired at a group located east of Gaza City.
Later, Palestinian gunmen fired at the European Union building in Gaza City. There were no reports of injuries.
There were later reports of a missile fired by an Israeli aircraft, injuring three armed Palestinians. Immediately afterwards, sources in the Strip reported that several other Palestinians were wounded by a missile fired by an Israeli aircraft, in the Sufa crossing area in the southern Strip.
IDF: Fire directed at Qassam launching sites
Sources in the IDF confirmed that artillery was fired at the area during the morning hours, but stressed that it was directed at Qassam launching sites which are very far from the populated neighborhoods.
While the defense establishment is looking into the harsh reports from Beit Hanoun, IDF officials made it clear that there was no intention to hit populated areas.
Injured evacuated in Beit Hanoun (Photo: AP)
"We have to remember the reality we are living in, with terror organizations using all means and launching Qassam rockets at Israel, also from populated areas and from homes," a senior military source said.
"We have no interest in hurting a civil population. We are trying to use a very cautious policy and are succeeding with that. Those who are endangering the civil population are the terror organizations," the source added.
In any case, the IDF launched a comprehensive inquiry into the incident, and an instruction may be issued to freeze the artillery fire in the coming hours.
Military sources told Ynet that an initial investigation revealed that an IDF gunner battery fired 12 missiles at a spot from where Qassams were fired at Ashkelon on Tuesday, as well as a nearby spot from where terrorists were planning to fire Qassams on Wednesday morning, according to information obtained by the IDF.
According to military sources, the distance between these spots and the area where the civilians were residing was approximately 500 meters, and so far it is unclear whether an artillery shell hit the building and caused the killing of Palestinian civilians.
Defense Minister Amir Peretz instructed the IDF to halt its artillery fire in the upcoming hours.
The IDF recently reduced its artillery fire for fear of hurting innocent civilians and because it is less accurate than other means.
On June, the IDF investigated the incident which took place at the Beit Lahiya beach , in which seven members of the Ghalia family were killed by what initially appeared to be Israeli shells.
According to findings presented by an investigation committee headed by Major General Meir Kalifi, the shells did not hit the family members. The use of artillery fire, however, was significantly reduced.
Palestinian Foreign Affairs Minister Mahmoud al-Zahar said today that Hamas is against peace with Israel, will not give up the right of return of Palestinian refugees and will not recognize Israel even if a Palestinian state is created in the pre-1967 borders.
Israel's foreign relations    

Al-Zahar also threatened Israel with response to the artillery shelling by the Israel Defense Forces at Beit Hanoun, where 19 Palestinians were killed due to machinery fault at one of the artillery stations.

The foreign minister also noted that Hamas will receive most seats in the Palestinian parliament, thus changing Palestinian Authority's policy to its liking. He also revealed that Hamas turned down Palenstinian Prime Minister Mahmoud Abbas's offer to release kidnapped Israeli soldier Gilad Shalit under Egyptian custody prior to Israel's assurance of release up to a thousand Palestinian prisoners.