Israeli missile kills Palestinian in Gaza Strip
(Agencies)
Updated: 2004-10-10 15:49

An Israeli aircraft fired a missile at a house in Gaza's Jabalya refugee camp on Sunday, killing a Palestinian man and wounding three women, witnesses said.

The Israeli army had no immediate comment on the incident on the 11th day of an offensive in the northern Gaza Strip aimed at stopping Palestinian militants from firing rockets into Israel.

Witnesses said a missile fired by an Israeli aircraft destroyed a house in the heart of Jabalya, killing a Palestinian man who worked in the camp as a teacher and wounding three women.

At least 88 Palestinians, 50 of them militants and the rest civilians, have been killed in the offensive, Israel's biggest thrust into Gaza since the Palestinian uprising began in 2000.

Israeli troops killed seven Palestinians, including five militants, in Gaza on Saturday. Three Israelis have also died since the start of the raid.

The dead on Saturday included a Hamas militant commander in Jabalya, where much of the fighting has been concentrated, witnesses said.

Despite U.S. and international pressure, Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon last week ordered the army to intensify the assault, which began after militants killed two children in a rocket strike on an Israeli border town on September 29.

The attack on Sderot, which sees almost daily rocket attacks by militants, has fuelled right-wing opposition to the prime minister's plan to evacuate all soldiers and Jewish settlers from the Gaza Strip by the end of 2005.

Palestinian militants want to claim any pullout as a victory. Israel is determined to smash them first.

Israel has said it will press on with its northern Gaza offensive as long as rocket strikes continue. Hamas, which is sworn to Israel's destruction and is the main group behind the attacks, has vowed to continue its rocket launches.

Close

Today's Top News     Top World News
French Alstom signing US$1.23 billion deals         China condemns US on Taiwan issue         China concerns over kidnapped nationals         China joins Galileo project         Bank card spending hit record high         Nobel-winning novel to be published in China	Afghans prepare to count votes despite boycott       Bush, Kerry go on the attack after debate       Candidates spar after contentious debate       Al-Sadr loyalists agree to hand over arms       Africa laureate dismisses AIDS "bioweapon" flap       John Howard wins Australian elections