Six-year-old girl killed by Israel tank fire in Gaza

An Israeli shell aimed at a group of militants in southern Gaza Strip slammed into a nearby house early Wednesday, decapitating a 6-year-old girl in her backyard, Palestinian medical officials and a relative said.

The Israeli military said troops had opened fire at militants preparing to launch rockets into Israel. It said it identified hitting the rocket squad, but was unaware of any Palestinian civilian casualties. Gaza's militant Hamas rulers reported that one of their gunmen was killed in the ongoing Israeli operation in the area.

Dr. Moaiya Hassanain, a Gaza Health Ministry official, identified the dead girl as Hadeel al-Smari and said two adult relatives living in her family's compound near the Israeli border were wounded in the attack. Associated Press Television News footage showed that the girl's head had been blown off.

Hadeel's cousin, Ahmad al-Smari, told The Associated Press that Hadeel was in the backyard of her family's house when a shell struck. It was not immediately clear what she was doing outside.