Palestinian sources reported that Khaled Abu Shamiyeh, 30, from Al-Shati refugee camp were killed and six bystanders were wounded in an Israeli air strike at a civilian car in Gaza city on Sunday night.
Eyewitnesses said the explosion ripped the car apart and Abu Shamiyeh died on the spot. Ambulances rushed to the scene in an attempt to save the wounded, who were evacuated to the nearby hospital.
Abu Shamiyeh was killed when an Israeli Apache fired air-to-land missiles at his car.
Army claims that Abu Shamiyeh has been involved in launching Qassam attacks against the Israeli town of Sderot outside the northern part of Gaza Strip.
An Israeli source said Abu Shamiyeh survived the bombing Israeli Air Force launched at the community center in Al-Shijaiyeh neighborhood in which 15 Palestinians were killed.
The same sources said Hamas vowed retaliation attacks at Israeli targets.
Early Monday morning, a Qassam rocket landed in Sderot, hitting an abandoned structure and evading an early warning system used by the Israel army to warn the town’s residents of an impending attack. No injuries were reported, however, four Israelis were treated fro shock.
Qassam rockets are a solid metal cylinder with a pushing chamber at the bottom filled with gun powder to push the rocket. Qassam rockets land without any explosion.
