Israeli air strike kills two Palestinians in Gaza

Two Palestinians, including a girl, were killed in an Israeli air raid on a house of a Palestinian militant Thursday evening in eastern Gaza City, witnesses and medical sources said.

Witnesses said that an Israeli F16 warplane dropped a bomb at the house of Ashraf Farwana, member of the governing Islamic Resistance Movement (Hamas)' armed wing, killing his 38-year-old brother and a girl whose identity is still unknown.

The house was completely destroyed and the surrounding houses suffered partial damage, said local residents.

Hospital sources said they received seven people wounded in the air strike.

For their part, the Israeli army said its air force targeted a house belonging to a member of Hamas' armed wing of al-Qassam brigades, adding that Farwana was responsible for terrorist operations against Israel.

An Israeli army spokesman vowed that the military would continue such strikes against Hamas elements until Palestinian rocket attacks against Israel are stopped and the captive Israeli Corporal Gilad Shalit is freed.

After Hamas led an attack and captured the Israeli soldier last June, Israel launched an operation against the Gaza Strip, targeting houses of Hamas members and carrying out limited incursions into Palestinian areas.

Source: Xinhua