Oct. 17, 2002

By THE JERUSALEM POST INTERNET STAFF

Eight Palestinians were killed and some 40 were wounded when the IDF opened fire
Thursday on Palestinians who were firing at an IDF crew near the Gaza Strip town of
Rafah, near the Termit outpost, Thursday afternoon.
Palestinians said among those killed in the clashes were two children: a 4-year-old boy and
a 12-year-old girl. Another two of the victims, they said, were women. The IDF sustained
no casualties in the incident, military sources said.
Palestinian sources told Israel Radio the clashes began when the IDF began construction
work for a new checkpoint in the area. IDF Spokeswoman did not confirm or deny this,
but said the Palestinians fired an anti-tank missile at "construction equipment" on the site.
According to Palestinian sources quoted by Israeli news agency Itim, the victims were
killed when an IDF tank fired at houses south of Rafah. The tank also fired at a local
UNRWA-run school, wounding more than 15 schoolchildren, some of them very severely.