GAZA CITY: The sound of a blast cut through the air on Gaza's beach, drawing people out of seafront buildings to see a crowd of terrified children sprinting along the sand.
They screamed as they ran, smoke rising behind them from an Israeli strike.
Panicked onlookers shouted at them to run away from the scene, and towards the safety of a hotel.
And then another blast hit the site, there was an orange glow and more smoke.
A hut used by Palestinian fishermen was set ablaze by the strike.
The children continued to run, but some of them were left behind. Four were dead.
Afterwards, emergency services spokesperson Ashraf al-Qudra gave names of the four, all cousins: Ahed Atef Bakr, aged 10, Zakaria Ahed Bakr, also 10. Mohamed Ramez Bakr, nine, and Ismail Mohamed Bakr, 11.
The other children, some crying, and others bleeding, ran into a hotel, where staff and journalists scrambled to help them.
Thirteen-year-old Hamed Bakr had shrapnel in his chest and was crying, "It hurts, my chest hurts."
Those present worked to clean and dress his wounds and those of two other injured children while ambulances were called.
It was unclear if Wednesday's strikes were the result of naval shelling, which frequently hits part of the Gaza coastline, or from Israeli warplanes.
Several hours after the strikes, the Israeli military in a statement described the deaths as "tragic" and said it was investigating the incident.
"Based on preliminary results the target of this strike was Hamas terrorist operatives," the statement said.
"The reported civilian casualties from this strike are a tragic outcome."
At least 220 Palestinians have been killed in Gaza in the nine days since the start of the conflict between Israel and the Palestinian militant group Hamas running the coastal strip.
Militants in Gaza have fired hundreds of rockets into Israel, killing one.
The four bodies of the children were later taken to Abu Hasira mosque, near where the boys had died.
The boys were laid out, wrapped in the yellow flags of the Fatah party - the Palestinian rival to the Hamas movement - in front of mourners.
"We come from God and to God we shall return," the imam overseeing the funeral prayers said.
Relative Khamis Bakr, 47, shook with anger as he spoke.
"They were playing on the beach, they'd gone there to get away from Beach Camp because there was a lot of shelling there," he said.
"They walked right into their deaths."
Zakaria's grandfather pushed through the mourners to the four small bodies and kneeled down, apparently in shock.
"The children were just playing, they had told one of their mothers that they were going to the beach," he said.
"We didn't know anything had happened, and then we heard on the radio that there had been a strike, and people from the Bakr family had been killed.
"And then I knew that the children were gone."
COMMENTS (10)
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@Adnan: What was the value of that person? You can file a case and prove it in International court. Not true civilized world are asking continuous to Muslims to adopt human rights since 1945. Pakistan itself for created in opposition for that. What exactly you want civilized world to do?
You are asking school level essay question on occupant and oppressed which were already discussed and resolved and agreed in 1945. By you logic Kashmir belongs to Dogra Kings, Iran to Zoroastrians, Pakistan and Afghanistan to hindus and buddhist or Indians, Mecca to pagans, Junagadh to its king etc.
Occupant are those who deny human rights and oppressed are those who don't get their due human rights.
Pakistan also violated of UN resolution on Kashmir, China on Tibet, Russia on Ukraine and Chechnian etc. UN can just give you guidelines but can't force itself. Should Civilized world violate human rights to enforce human rights?
You are confused between religion, geopolitics, regional politics, human rights, human value (economic, political and social), UN or say every institution that exits in this world.
80% of the world muslims are dependent on civilized world aids and grants. What more you want them to do?
@vinsin So you feel Gaza has some trouble in stopping the rocket fire which killed so far just 1 person. So if some one occupy your home and ask you to leave and you resist in reply. So then who will be the occupant and the oppressed. Israel is a war criminal as it violated 65 un resolutions. Syria vialated 3 and all nato came for help crush the gov.. Its criminal negligence by the civilized world. No justification can help israel.
@John: Same question can be asked about Iran, Egypt, Arabs, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Iraq, Turkey, Tibet also. Those are also occupied lands. I have never seen Muslims demanding for vacating of those lands. Palestine was divided by Britishers and gave rights of those lands to Jews similarly they divided Indian Subcontinent for Indian Muslims. That is the different case that Indian Muslims cannot move to Pakistan.
Jordan and arab states refused to accommodate palestinian people as they are non-arab and instead supported war. Palestine was create as a temporary state accepted by Palestinian with the right of Israel to expand for security reason. Why Palestinian accepting those conditions? Why you want to start history from 1940 not from 5000 yrs back? Why Palestinians cannot be considered as occupiers?
You haven't said which of my comments are ill informed.
@vinsin: All your ill informed comments have a very simple answer if someone cares to bother.Under what law has Israel been occupying Palestinian lands and bulldozing houses starting in the late 1940's till today and would you retaliate if someone comes into your land and destroys your house? Israel wants the rocket attacks to stop?Well there is a solution called withdrawing from the occupied territories and giving up the illegal jewish settlements! P.S. google the map of Palestine and Israel before 1940 to get to the bottom of the issue about which you are so grossly mis-informed
@Stranger: That is not UN job. UN main job is to promote human rights and stop world wars. They just make reports and guidelines for that. Only if all the veto powered countries agreed then only something can be done. I did not get it. Isnt it the Gaza citizens who have refused ceasefire? Isn't that Gaza opposes human rights? Isn't it Gaza citizens fire rockets on Israel and themselves? Isn't UN supplying relieve to Gaza from so many years and is doing today also? Isn't Palestinian government is against gaza? Why UN should help when they are not asking for any help? What action has Gaza taken to safeguard it's citizen? Close to 1400 rockets fired from Gaza, why gaza citizen not opposing Hamas? World population is big so million is not a big number most of those people are against UN and human rights. True people fight for their nations don't get displaced, lost and confused.
Did UN ask Gaza to fire rockets? Did UN forced any country to become it's member? Why most of the Islamic state are member of UN when they opposes human rights?
What you are asking is not UN job? Gaza is not a recognized country also.
@vinsin: Here a war there a war everywhere a war war . There will be no world war per se because there is only one super power With ussr gone . I am not saying that US is a villain . Don't u see the romantic notion of Arab spring crumbling , don't u see the rape of a tiny city Gaza ? Don't u see millions displaced . What is the UN doing to stop this ?
@Stranger: why? There has not been any world war after formation of UN.
i always support democratic isreal.
I say - dissolve the UN . It's a useless body .
Sad. Hope the place of three great religions learn to live in peace.