Israeli tanks fire on refugee camp, citing attack on settlement

Members of the Djundi family inspect damage after their home in Beit Jalla came under fire

JERUSALEM (CNN) -- The Israeli army said its tanks fired Monday on the Palestinian refugee camp Khan Younis in Gaza in response to a mortar attack on the Jewish settlement of Newe Dekalim in Gaza.

Iman Hajo, a 4-month-old girl, was killed inside her house in Khan Younis during the shelling and 25 people were injured, the Palestine Red Crescent Society said. Four of the people, including the dead baby's mother, were in critical condition. The baby's brother was also injured. The family was in its house when the shelling began.

No injuries were reported on the Israeli side.

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The United States criticized both sides for actions that undermined efforts to stop the violence and urged both to exercise restraint.

"Too many children have suffered," State Department Richard Boucher said Monday. "People need to take a hold of the situation, stop the violence, stop the cycle of violence in order to prevent more tragedies."

Meanwhile, Palestinians in the village of Hussan, an area under Israeli control south of Bethlehem, told CNN that rock-throwing protesters were clashing with Israeli soldiers after an Israeli settler shot and wounded a Palestinian man.

The witnesses said the 30-year-old man was shot three times.

Earlier, Israeli tanks briefly entered the West Bank town of Tulkarem overnight through the western entrance, which is under Palestinian control, near the National Security outpost, the Palestinian governor of Tulkarem, Izzeddin Sharif, told CNN.

The Palestine Red Crescent Society said one Palestinian was shot and injured.

In Washington, Boucher said such incursions into Palestinian territory "represent an escalation of the situation on the ground.

"This perpetuates the cycle of violence; it directly undermines the efforts to defuse the situation. And continuation of these kind of actions makes it increasingly difficult to bring the violence to an end," Boucher said.

But the Israeli army denies the tanks entered the area at all. An Israeli Army official said the tanks attacked only the border outpost area.

Palestinians said they fired at the tanks to halt their advance, and Israeli tanks fired back with machine guns. Israeli radio reported a police station was destroyed.

Hassan Abu Tammam, 55, was being transported to a hospital by an ambulance when it was hit with shrapnel, the Palestinians said. He died later at the hospital.

Several buildings were damaged, including an empty kindergarten and a technical college.

Clashes were also reported in the West Bank town of Sinjil near Ramallah. One Palestinian was injured by a rubber-coated steel bullet to the head, according to the Palestine Red Crescent Society.

Boucher said Monday the Palestinians bear responsibility to "immediately end provocative acts of violence emanating from areas under their control."

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