GAZA, April 4 (Xinhua) -- Two Palestinian civilians were killed and eight others wounded in an Israeli shelling on the northern Gaza Strip on Tuesday, Palestinian sources said.

    About five Israeli tanks stationed near the border launched a series of shells that landed onto the Fad'ous neighborhood in the northern Gaza Strip town Beit Lahiya, said Palestinian witnesses, adding that one of the shells hit a building, killing two Palestinian residents and wounding eight others.

    Meanwhile, Palestinian medics at the Gaza Hospital said that Mahmoud Da'aalsa, 24, and Mohamed Abu Shmas, 23, were killed and eight others were injured by the shrapnel of Israeli tank shells.

    There was no immediate word from the Israeli army.

    The shelling came in the wake of an Israeli airstrike on a Palestinian security installation, which slightly injured a cameraman working with Reuters TV.

    The Israeli army said that the airstrike was an retaliation for earlier Palestinian militant rocket attacks on southern Israel. Nocasual ties were caused in the attacks.

    Meanwhile, Palestinian security sources said that the Israeli army on Tuesday shut down the Karni commercial crossing on the eastern Gaza border with Israel, citing security reasons. The Israeli said that the key crossing would be re-opened till a further notice.

    The Karni crossing, through which most of the goods flow in and out of the Gaza Strip, was reopened late last month. The lengthy shutdown of the crossing had led to severe food shortages in the strip. Enditem