October 18, 2002	Friday	Sha'aban 11, 1423

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RAFAH, Oct 17: Israeli tanks shelled houses in the Gaza Strip on Thursday, killing eight Palestinians and wounding 35.

The deaths in Rafah refugee camp were likely to fuel tensions that are already high following army raids against militants in which civilians as well as militants have been killed. The United States has criticized such raids. Palestinian witnesses said the tanks opened fire on a cluster of houses when militants shot at the bulldozers, which were near the border.

“We have eight martyrs,” said Ali Moussa, the director of Rafah hospital. “We have 35 people wounded. Most if not all are in critical condition.”

Witnesses said the dead and wounded were civilians who had been inside their homes, and that two women were among those killed. They said they had seen dismembered bodies and that heavy fire had prevented ambulances from reaching the injured.—Reuters