GAZA/JERUSALEM, Dec. 17 (Xinhua) -- Eleven Palestinians were injured on Wednesday in Israeli shelling in Gaza City, according to eyewitnesses and Palestinian medical sources.
Eyewitnesses said an artillery shell struck an area near the Al-Samar junction in central Gaza City as a vehicle was passing by, causing a loud explosion.
Medical sources told Xinhua that the shelling injured 11 people -- some of them seriously -- who were inside the vehicle and among nearby passersby. All the injured were transported to hospital.
The Israeli military said later that the injuries were the result of errant fire.
"A mortar shell fired during the operation deviated from its intended target," an Israeli military spokesperson said in a statement, adding that it was fired as part of troop activity near the "yellow line," a demarcation marking areas where Israeli soldiers remain deployed despite a ceasefire that came into force on Oct. 10.
"Claims regarding casualties from the fire in the area are known, and the incident is under investigation," the spokesperson said.
Earlier on Wednesday, Gaza's health authorities said the body of one person killed over the past 24 hours was sent to a hospital in Gaza. ■
