Gaza air strike (Archive)
צילום: רויטרס
Israeli strike wounds 5 Palestinian gunmen
Palestinian medics, witnesses report of five Palestinian gunmen wounded in Israeli air strike in northern Gaza near sundown Tuesday. Gunmen – members of a Qassam launching cell
An Israeli missile struck a car carrying Islamic Jihad terrorists and injured two of them, Palestinian witnesses and medics said. Another missile hit a nearby vehicle and wounded three gunmen of al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigades inside. An Israeli army spokesman confirmed the military had carried out the attack, which set two vehicles on fire near the town of Beit Hanoun.
Israel has often targeted Palestinian terror groups in Gaza and has stepped up an offensive in the territory in recent days in a bid to stop rocket attacks against Israeli populations and to pressure armed groups to free kidnapped soldier Gilad Shalit, who was abducted in June.
Both Islamic Jihad and al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigades, which is part of Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas' Fatah group, have in the past carried out rocket attacks against Israel from Gaza.
These attacks come after two Palestinian were killed and three others were injured Saturday when the Israeli Air Force fired a missile at the vehicle they were driving in the Rafah area. According to the army, the men in the car were Tanzim operatives involved in the launching of several terror attacks recently.
Earlier Saturday, an IDF aircraft fired a missile at a rocket launcher south of the town of Beit Hanoun in the vicinity of Tuesday's strike. No injuries were reported in that incident.
The IDF said that an attempt was made to target a Palestinian who was spotted handling a Qassam launcher in Beit Hanoun. The army claimed that the launcher was used to fire the rocket at Sderot earlier Saturday.
The IDF stressed that the operations in the Gaza Strip against terror organizations will continue. "We have no intention of easing the pressure exerted on the terror organizations," a Southern Command official said. "The various activities from the air and the ground will go on and even increase if necessary. We do not chase after every Qassam, but can operate against those involved in this field, as well as in other fields of terror activity," he added.
