WORLD> Middle East
Gaza man killed in recycling accident
(Agencies)
Updated: 2009-02-16 15:28

GAZA CITY, Gaza Strip -- Palestinian hospital officials say a 25-year-old Gaza man has been killed and five people have been wounded in a blast along the border with Israel.

Palestinian security officials say the explosion in the northern Gaza town of Beit Lahiya was caused when people who were melting down scrap metal for recycling inadvertently threw an explosive device into the fire.

Residents initially reported Monday that a shell exploded.

Meanwhile, Israel's military says two rockets fired from Gaza in violation of an informal truce landed in Israel. No injuries were reported.

Israel ended a three-week military offensive in Gaza on Jan. 18, and the territory's Islamic Hamas rulers declared a cease-fire the same day. But sporadic violence has continued as Egypt tries to mediate a long-term truce.