Israel martyrs 2 in raid; Pals put on trial over US killings

By: Ahmad Hammadi

GAZA CITY: An Israeli helicopter gunship fired a missile into a car traveling in a crowded Gaza City street Saturday, ripping apart the front of the vehicle and martyring an Islamic Jihad leader plus a 12-year-old boy on his way to school.

According to doctors the attack wounded 10 Palestinians, three of them critically, in Israel's first targeted killing in six weeks.

Also Saturday, a Palestinian military court charged four suspects with planting explosives along a main road in Gaza. A prosecutor said the defendants targeted Israeli tanks, but that one of their bombs may also have ripped apart a US diplomatic vehicle and killed three American security guards Oct. 15.

The hastily convened trial was called days after US officials complained the Palestinian Authority had not cooperated fully in its investigation into the bombing of the convoy.

“We are not criminals. We did not do anything,” shouted two of the defendants to reporters at the start of the trial. The names and other details of the defendants was not immediately available to reporters who received only minutes to rush to the military court after security officials published a surprise announcement that the trial was about to convene.

The US embassy declined to comment on the trial other than to say they were watching events closely.

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