A/HRC/8/17 page 13 Operations of Palestinian militants during the period from 25 February to 25 April 2008 30. On 6 March 2008, 8 Israeli civilians were killed and 11 wounded when a Palestinian gunman opened fire inside a Jewish religious school in West Jerusalem.40 An Orthodox Rabbi was stabbed near Damascus Gate of Jerusalem’s old city on 18 March. A militant Palestinian group based inside Israel, Ahrar Al-Jalil, claimed responsibility for this attack.41 31. In Gaza, on 8 April, two Israeli civilians and one soldier were killed during an operation by Palestinian militants into Nahal Oz, one of Gaza’s crossing points. A number of organizations claimed responsibility for the military operation, including Islamic Jihad and the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP) military wing. The operation was allegedly aimed at abducting Israeli soldiers. 32. It is estimated that during the reporting period, Palestinian militants fired around 640 mortar shells and 450 rockets, the majority of which were of the Qassam type, from Gaza into southern Israel including the cities of Sderot and Ashkelon. Though most of the rocket and mortar attacks carried out by Palestinian militants were indiscriminate, some of the short-distance mortar shells reportedly targeted Israeli military installations or personnel located just across the border. Some 12 Israelis sustained injuries as a result of rockets and mortar shells fired by Palestinian militants and many residents of Sderot and other localities in southern Israel, including children, suffered from shock. Rockets also caused damage to buildings, including homes and other installations. 33. In addition, in the West Bank, two Israeli security guards were killed on the night of 25 April in a shooting attack at the Nitzanei Shalom industrial zone, near the city of Tulkarm. A third guard managed to flee after the gunman opened fire. Israeli military operations during the period from 25 February to 25 April 2008 34. During the reporting period, Israeli security forces conducted at least 30 military incursions into Gaza and 348 into various locations of the West Bank. Although the number of incursions in the West Bank was considerably higher than in Gaza, the number of injuries and deaths were significantly less in the West Bank than in Gaza. This could be attributed to the nature of the methods and weaponry used in the relevant operations. 35. In total, some 221 Palestinians, including 7 women and 51 children, were reportedly killed due to the international armed Israeli-Palestinian conflict. The number of wounded 40 Haaretz, 7 March 2008, http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/objects/pages/PrintArticleEn.jhtm1? itemNo=961767. 41 Israel National News, 18 March 2008, http://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/ News.aspx/125596.