4 Palestinians hurt as Gaza rocket fire ‘goes wrong’

One of five rockets targeting Israeli towns falls short, strikes a Palestinian house; infant among the wounded

Illustrative: An undated photo of Islamic Jihad members in Gaza preparing to launch rockets toward Israel. (CC BY-SA Amir Farshad Ebrahimi, Flickr)
Illustrative: An undated photo of Islamic Jihad members in Gaza preparing to launch rockets toward Israel. (CC BY-SA Amir Farshad Ebrahimi, Flickr)

Four Palestinians were wounded Tuesday, two of them seriously, when a rocket or mortar fired at Israel from Gaza fell short and struck inside the enclave, witnesses and medics said.

No further details were available on the incident, except that one of the wounded was a child. (Later reports said the victim, a three-year-old girl, died of her injuries.)

Earlier a volley of rockets was fired at southern Israel, with one causing damage to a building and two being intercepted by the Iron Dome anti-missile system.

At least five missiles were fired at Israel, according to media and military accounts. No injuries were reported.

One rocket landed inside a residential community in the Sdot Negev region, causing damage to a home.

The Iron Dome anti-missile system shot down two rockets fired at the Hof Ashkelon region in quick succession, the military said. Two more rockets fired at the area landed in open areas.

Color Red sirens rang out across the Hof Ashkelon region before the rockets were fired.

According to the army, more than 200 rockets have been fired on Israel since the beginning of the year.

Attacks from Gaza and Israeli retaliatory air strikes have increased recently amid tensions over the kidnapping of three Israeli teens in the West Bank and the ensuing Israeli military operation to recover them.

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