'Hamas will pay a heavy price': Mortar bomb fired from Gaza strip kills four-year-old Israeli boy as Netanyahu vows revenge

The boy was killed when the shell fired from Gaza struck a kibbutz - communal farm - in Nahal Oz near the border

In response to the attack, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said that Hamas would pay a 'heavy price'

Came on the day that Hamas killed 18 people in Gaza who it suspected of being Israeli spies



Six suspects lined up and shot behind Gaza's largest mosque after being snatched while leaving midday prayers

Others killed at police headquarters in Gaza City after they had previously been sentenced in court, says official

Four-year-old Israeli boy was killed in a mortar attack near the border with the Gaza Strip as fighting continued



Israel launched 20 air strikes at Gaza this morning, while militants fired two rockets at Israel, the Israeli military said

Comes hours after thousands of Palestinians buried three Hamas commanders killed in an Israeli air strike in Gaza




A four-year-old Israeli boy has been killed by rocket fire from Gaza today - the fourth Israeli civilian to be killed in the latest round of the conflict.

The boy died just before sundown in the village of Nahal Oz near the Gaza border after the rocket struck a kibbutz - or communal farm - where he lived.

Charred vehicles were seen where the shell landed. The latest death in the conflict prompted harsh words from Israeli prime minister Bejamin Netanyahu, who vowed that Hamas would pay a 'heavy price' for the attack.

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Mortar strike: The boy was killed by a shell fired from Gaza into a Kibbutz (communal farm) not far from the border

Emergency: The boy is the fourth Israeli civilian to die in the conflict

Blasts: Explosions were seen in Gaza today as Israeli shelling continued in the wake of the boy's death

Blasts: Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu swore Hamas would pay a 'heavy price' for the latest Israeli death

It came as violence in Gaza itself intensified, with Hamas killing 18 people whom it described as Israeli spies. Six of the alleged informants were lined up behind a mosque and shot dead after midday prayers.

The Hamas-run website Al Rai suggested the killings were in retaliation for the deaths of three high-ranking military leaders killed in an Israeli air strike yesterday.



It portrayed the killings as the beginning of a new crackdown, under the rallying cry of 'choking the necks of the collaborators.'

The executions came as Israeli rescue officials said a four-year-old boy was killed in a mortar attack near the border with the Gaza Strip.



Six of the alleged spies were grabbed from among hundreds of worshippers leaving the city's largest mosque, by men in the uniform of Hamas's military wing, the Ezzedine al-Qassam Brigades.

One of the masked men shouted: 'This is the final moment of the Zionist enemy collaborators' then the gunmen sprayed them with bullets.

Rounded up: Hamas fighters grab Palestinians suspected of collaborating with Israel before executing them in apparent revenge for the deaths of three of leaders On death row: The victims, their heads covered and hands tied, were shot dead by masked gunmen in front of a crowd of worshippers outside a mosque after prayers Accused: Another 11 people suspected of collaborating with Israel were killed by gunmen at an abandoned police station in Gaza, Hamas security officials said Revenge: Hamas media portrayed the killings as the beginning of a new crackdown, under the rallying cry of 'choking the necks of the collaborators' Earlier, another witness saw 11 people shot dead in a square near the remains of Gaza police headquarters, which had been bombed by Israeli warplanes. An 18th person was shot in front of bystanders in a separate incident nearby. RELATED ARTICLES Previous

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Next 'We DID kidnap the three Israeli teens': Hamas veteran... Thousands turn out for burial of three Hamas commanders as... Share this article Share Two of those killed were women, according to the Palestinian Center for Human Rights, which called for an immediate halt to what it said were 'extra-judicial executions.'

A Gaza security official said the suspected informants were killed after they had previously been sentenced by Gaza courts. Al Rai, however, said they were killed after the completion of 'legal procedures', suggesting a hastily arranged hearing. Death sentence: Another witness saw 11 people shot dead in a square near the remains of Gaza police headquarters, which had been bombed by Israeli warplanes Public executions: Palestinians watch as Hamas militants shoot dead Gazans suspected of collaborating with Israel after rounding them up in broad daylight

A Palestinian woman who was badly injured in the Gaza strip during the conflict with Israel arrives at a clinic in Westerstede, Germany for specialist treatment Two Palestinian women and a nine-year-old girl (pictured) arrived at the clinic in Westerstede, Germany, for free emergency treatment as part of an initiative by the Palestinian surgeon Muneer Deeb

Israel said the three Hamas senior figures killed on Thursday had played a key role in expanding the militants' military capabilities in recent years, including digging attack tunnels leading to Israel, training fighters and smuggling weapons to Gaza.



One of the trio also played a role in the capture of Israeli soldier Gilad Schalit in 2006.



After being held captive in Gaza for more than five years, Schalit was exchanged for more than 1,000 Palestinian prisoners in 2011.

Israel says the Gaza blockade is needed to prevent Hamas and other militant groups from getting weapons.

