At least 11 Palestinians were killed in eastern Gaza City on Friday night, local witnesses and medical sources said.

Local witnesses said that Israeli tanks did not enter Gaza City but opened fire at the Shejaya neighborhood of eastern Gaza City.

Mo'aweya Hassanein, emergency chief in Gaza, said that before the tank shelling, four civilians were killed in Khan Younis of southern Gaza Strip.

Earlier this evening, a mother and her five children were killed in tank shelling in central Gaza strip and one motorcyclist was killed in an airstrike in Khan Younis.

Hassanein said that altogether there are 22 Palestinians killed on Friday night, adding that the death toll since the beginning of Israeli massive attack in Gaza has exceeded 1,150.

(Xinhua News Agency January 17, 2009)