Gaza blast kills 4

Four young Palestinians died in an explosion in the southern Gaza Strip on Thursday, hospital officials said, and the Israeli army denied reports from residents that they were killed by an Israeli tank shell.
Hospital officials said the four, all aged under 18, had been killed by a shell fired in the town of Rafah near the border with Egypt. Palestinian residents said Israeli troops had been operating in the area. An Israeli army spokeswoman said the army had not opened fire. Rival Palestinian factions have been battling throughout the Gaza Strip, and Hamas and Fatah militants clashed in Rafah earlier on Thursday.