An 18-year-old Palestinian was killed and two other Palestinians were injured by Israeli shelling in eastern Rafah city in the southern Gaza Strip before dawn on Wednesday.
Locals said that Israeli drones were also flying overhead as the sound of gunshots explosions were heard, according to Ma’an.
Spokesperson for Gaza’s Ministry of Health Ashraf al-Qidra said in a statement that Youssef Shaaban Abu Athra, 18, was killed and two others each sustained multiple injuries from shrapnel as a result of the artillery fire.
The two injured were taken to the Abu Youssef Najjar Hospital in Rafah for treatment. Their identities and their medical conditions remained unknown.
An Israeli army spokesperson that Israel forces had “detected three suspects” near Israel’s military border fence in southern Gaza, and that Israeli forces responded by “firing with a tank toward the suspect,” adding that “one hit was confirmed.” However the spokesperson did not explicitly acknowledge that someone had been killed or elaborate on what had been suspicious about their behavior.
According to Israel news site Ynet, the Israeli army was investigating whether the three Palestinians “were trying to plant an explosive device.”
