Gaza mortar fire kills 4-year-old child in southern Israel

An Israeli child was killed by mortar fire from Gaza yesterday bringing the number of civilians killed in Israel during the 46-day conflict with Hamas to four.

"A mortar hit near a kindergarten in the Sdot Negev regional council, killing an Israeli child," a statement from the army read.

Police said the boy was four-years-old, making him the first child in Israel to be killed by projectiles fired by Palestinian militants since July 8.

Three other civilians have been killed in Israel in that period, as have 64 soldiers in and around the Gaza Strip, where fighting and bombing has killed at least 2,092 Palestinians.