GAZA: Israeli air strike in militant camp leaves three dead

An Israeli helicopter gunship fired at least one missile into what Israel described as a Palestinian militant training camp in the Gaza Strip on Wednesday (August 9), killing two gunmen and a girl, witnesses said. They said another three people were also wounded in the strike on Gaza City, one of them a child in critical condition. The Israeli military, which has frequently attacked armed factions spearheading a 5-year-old Palestinian uprising, confirmed the strike, saying it targeted militants who were planning attacks. The dead gunmen were identified as members of the Popular Resistance Committees, a militant coalition that has played a leading role in cross-border rocket salvoes into Israel. The air strike was part of a wider offensive launched by Israel after Palestinian gunmen captured a soldier in a cross-border raid on June 25. Israel's Gaza offensive has killed at least 170 Palestinians, more than half of them civilians. Israel has rejected demands by the three militant groups that captured Corporal Gilad Shalit in the raid, which includes Hamas, to trade the soldier for Palestinian prisoners.

ITN Source | August 10, 2006

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