An Israeli airstrike killed at least one Palestinian militant in the Hamas-controlled Gaza Strip on Wednesday, medical workers said. The Islamic Jihad militant group said one of its members was killed and six were wounded in the strike near the southern Gaza town of Khan Younis. An Israeli army spokeswoman said an airstrike had targeted a group of Palestinian militants who were spotted by soldiers operating in the area. At least 14 Palestinians, most of them members of Hamas, were wounded in the fighting, according to witnesses and medical officials. Palestinian witnesses said a total of 25 tanks and armored bulldozers entered Abassan, an area east of Khan Younis, setting off battles with local militants. Israeli aircraft carried out at least three air strikes, including one attack that struck six Hamas militants, said Dr. Moaiya Hassanain of the Palestinian Health Ministry. Three of the men were in critical condition. Sami Al-Najar, a resident of the area, said the militants were standing near a house and fired a rocket-propelled grenade toward a tank before the airstrike.
