Haaretz: 4 civilians killed by Israeli soldier opposed to Gaza withdrawal

Haaretz reported today that a Jewish Israel Defense Forces soldier, Eden Natan-Zada, "killed four people and wounded 12 in the Israeli Arab town of Shfaram on Thursday."

"Natan-Zada, 19, was killed a mob which boarded the bus after the shooting. The victims of the attack were identified as bus driver Michel Bahus, 56; passenger Nader Hayak, 55; Hazar Turki, 23, and her 21-year-old sister Dina," Haaretz reported.

Israeli security sources said that the attack took place near the Arab Shafa Amre town, and that the attacker was arrested, giving no further details.

Haaretz indicated that the Israeli soldier attacked the civilians because he rejects the Israeli withdrawal from Gaza.

Haaretz reported that "The police sent hundreds of reinforcements to the north of Israel, fearing possible riots in Arab towns, similar to those in October 2000, in which 13 Arab citizens were killed." It was not clear from the report if the killed were Palestinian Israelis (Palestinians who hold Israeli citizenship). Looking at the names of the killed, some of the killed seem to be Christian Palestinian Israelis.

On the other hand, one Palestinian was killed because of his wounds he had last Tuesday as a local missile shelling fell at his house in Beit Hanoun north of Gaza.

A Palestinian medical source said that Adnan al-Ashqar ( 50 years old), from Beit Hanoun, died on Thursday evening. His son Yasser al-Ashqar was also killed and others of his sons and relatives were injured following the fall of the mortar shell.