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Militants' Errant Rocket Kills Boy ; 9 Palestinians Are Also Wounded

Posted on: Wednesday, 3 August 2005, 15:00 CDT

SDEROT, Israel - Palestinians fired rockets Tuesday at Israeli settlers gathered for a massive protest against the upcoming Gaza withdrawal, but missed, killing a 3-year-old Palestinian boy and wounding nine other Palestinians in Gaza.

Witnesses said militants fired three rockets at the Israeli town of Sderot, where thousands of Israelis had gathered for a peaceful demonstration. Two of the rockets fell in Palestinian areas and the third fell in an open field near Sderot.

Among the wounded were five children, ages 4 to 11, including four children of Hisham Abdel Razek, a senior official in the ruling Fatah party and a former Palestinian Cabinet minister. Abdel Razek's wife was also wounded.

Militant attacks against Israelis had dropped off after a February truce between Israel and the Palestinians. In recent weeks, however, as the Israeli withdrawal from Gaza approaches, militants have stepped up attacks to try to portray the Israeli pullout as a military victory for the Palestinians.

The rockets were fired toward Sderot as the rally there was ending.

Although the Israelis gathered in Sderot had pledged a peaceful protest, settler leaders said they planned to defy a military order and lead their followers on a march to Gaza's settlements today. .

More than 15,000 police and soldiers took up positions in southern Israel to prevent the marchers from reaching Gaza, which has been declared a closed military zone.

Source: Record, The; Bergen County, N.J.

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