Summary The deaths raised the overall toll in nine days of violence in Gaza to 213.
GAZA CITY (AFP) - Four children were killed and several injured at a beach in Gaza City on Wednesday, medics said, in Israeli shelling witnessed by AFP journalists.
Emergency services Ashraf al-Qudra confirmed four children were killed and at least five others injured, some of whom sought refuge at a hotel used by journalists.
The deaths raised the overall toll in nine days of violence in Gaza to 213.
The first strike hit at around 1300 GMT, prompting children and adults on the beach to scatter, as others rushed out to see what had happened.
A second and third struck as they ran, setting fire to huts on the beach as terrified children shouted that there were dead and injured.
The strikes appeared to be the result of shelling by the Israeli navy against an area with small shacks used by fishermen.
Several children ran inside the hotel where AFP journalists saw at least three with shrapnel injuries.
They were evacuated by ambulances, which also picked up more injured people from the beach, including one man who was missing part of his leg.
