Israeli army kills seven Palestinians in under 24 hours

Wednesday February 27, 2008 11:06 by Rami Almeghari - IMEMC&Agencies

Both medical sources and eyewitnesses reported that five resistance fighters members of the Al-Qassam Brigades have been killed, with three others wounded in two Israeli air strikes early Wednesday morning.

An Israeli warplane/ archive photo

Medics have confirmed that four of those killed were from the Jabalia refugee camp north of the Gaza Strip, while the fifth came from the southern city of Khan Younis. Three others were also wounded in the missile attack.

Eyewitnesses saw, a civilian car driving along Mawasi agricultural road in Khan Younis city. Two missiles were shot from an Israeli Apache helicopter directly at the vehicle. It is believed that those inside the car were killed instantly.

The Al-Qassam brigades, the armed wing of the ruling Hamas party in Gaza identified the victims as their own , and stated that the attack was a Israeli targeted assassination.The brigades said those killed were "field members" of the group.

A few minutes after the Mawasi attack, a second car was targeted while driving along the Khan Younis coastal road, witnesses confirmed.

Late on Tuesday night, an Islamic Jihad fighter was reportedly killed in Israeli fire near the Gaza-Israel border in the Al-Bureij refugee camp in the central Gaza Strip.

Medics identified the deceased as Zaki Abu Zaid, and said that another man was also injured in the attack. The Al Quds Brigades, the armed wing of the Islamic Jihad movement, confirmed that Abu Zaid was their member.

The Israeli army said that it had detected and killed Palestinian militants, who were allegedly attempting to plant explosive devices along the border.

These attacks follow on from yesterday's shooting of Palestinian farmer, Hasan Abu Sabt from Khan Younis in the southern Gaza Strip who was killed by Israeli fire. Palestinians have farmland and homes adjacent to the border.

The Israeli army has been increasingly targeting Palestinian resistance groups since Hamas took control of Gaza in June 2007.

According to Palestinian sources, in the past three months , at least 200 Palestinians, including civilians, have been killed by the Israeli army.

Israel says its actions on Gaza are aimed at stopping the launching of Palestinian homemade shells onto nearby Israeli towns, which claimed the lives of two Israelis in 2007.

khan younis | israeli attacks | news report rami at imemc dot org