JERUSALEM – An Israeli air strike killed four members of Palestinian militant group Hamas today, Hamas sources said.
They said the vehicle the four were traveling in was targeted by a missile in Gaza City.
Israeli troops yesterday had rounded up Palestinian men and battled militants for a second straight day in the northeastern corner of the Gaza Strip, killing six Palestinians, including militants and civilians, Palestinian medical workers said.
The Israeli operation in Beit Hanoun, a farming community that has been the scene of frequent fighting, is one of the largest since Israeli forces entered Gaza four months ago.
It is designed to stop, or at least limit, the persistent Palestinian rocket fire from the area into Israel, the Israeli military says.
Despite the large Israeli presence, Palestinians still managed to launch several more rockets yesterday from nearby areas in northern Gaza. One hit a house in the Israeli town of Sderot, which is beyond Gaza's perimeter fence, and two Israeli civilians were wounded, Israeli officials said.
In Beit Hanoun, the streets were largely deserted except for Israeli tanks and other armored vehicles that kicked up clouds of dust as they patrolled the town.
Most of the town's 30,000 residents remain holed up in their homes. The Israeli military interrupted Palestinian radio broadcasts, telling women, children and older men to stay inside for their safety.
However, in a separate announcement on loudspeakers, the Israeli forces ordered all males ages 16 to 45 to gather at a square in the town. Many were put onto trucks and driven outside the town for questioning.
Most were later released, but about 15 were held for further questioning, the Israeli military said. While the fighting was less intense than on Wednesday, when the Israeli incursion began, there was sporadic gunfire throughout the day.
Last night, Israel carried out airstrikes against Palestinians responsible for firing rockets, the Israeli military said. Two Palestinians were killed, Palestinian medical workers said.
Earlier in the day, two Palestinian militants and two civilians were killed, officials at Kamal Adwan Hospital said.
One of the civilians, Diab al-Bassioni, was in his 70s. Al-Bassioni was hit by a bullet when he stepped outside to get water, his neighbors told Agence France-Presse. More than a dozen Palestinians were injured, hospital officials said.
In three days of fighting, at least 18 Palestinians have been killed and more than 60 wounded, according to Palestinian hospitals.
Most of the dead and wounded have been militants, though a number of women and children have also been hurt, according to the hospitals.
One Israeli soldier, Staff Sgt. Kiril Golenshein, was killed Wednesday, and two soldiers were wounded yesterday, the Israeli military said.
