Baku-APA. An Israeli civilian was killed on Saturday from a rocket attack on southern Israel, Israel's medical services said, APA reports quoting Xinhua.
A 32-year-old man died from rocket shrapnel, Israeli national medical emergency services Director General Eli Bin told Xinhua on Saturday.
Three others were wounded including a 4-month-old girl in critical condition and a 5-year-old boy in light condition, the official added. The three were evacuated to a hospital in the southern Israeli city of Be'er Sheva. Dozens of rockets were fired at southern Israel throughout Saturday.
The victims appear to be members of a single Bedouin family living in a community in the southern Israeli Negev Desert. The communities, mostly unrecognized by Israel as they were established before Israel was founded in 1948, are off the electric grid and do not have protection from rocket attacks.
This is the second Israeli civilian killed since Israel started Operation Protective Edge on Gaza 12 days ago. An Israeli volunteer died of mortar fire at a border crossing near the northern Gaza Strip border on Tuesday.
Earlier on Saturday, Palestinian militants from the Gaza Strip tried to infiltrate Israel through an underground tunnel near the central Gaza Strip border, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) Spokesperson Unit said.
A fire exchange ensued between the militants and the Israeli soldiers. At least one militant was killed while others managed to return back to the enclave. Two Israeli soldiers suffered mediocre wounds, the IDF said. They were evacuated to the Be'er Sheva hospital as well.
The army further stated that the air force carried a subsequent air strike targeting the militants who escaped back to the strip. An Israeli soldier was killed early Friday, apparently by friendly fire. The IDF is investigating the incidents.
A senior military official told the Ha'aretz daily on Saturday morning that since Israel's ground incursion in Gaza on Thursday evening the IDF located 13 tunnels extending from the Gaza Strip into Israel and said they will be demolished.
The IDF said 310 targets have been attacked in Gaza by air and land since the ground operation began. Palestinian medical sources said that 70 Palestinians were killed since Thursday and overall approximately 300 Palestinians were killed since Operation Protective Edge started last Tuesday, and nearly 2,000 were injured.
The United Nations said that it is believed that 50,000 Palestinians have been displaced following the military campaign.
Negotiation efforts over a ceasefire deal are still ongoing in Egypt. UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-Moon is expected to arrive in Egypt on Monday. Egyptian media sources said U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry is also expected to arrive in Cairo later on Saturday.
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